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SERMONS 



CHRISTMAS EVANS. 



K Neni olrauBlatton from tl)e iPelsl). 



MEMOm AN]) PORTEAITUKE OF THE AUTHOR, 



REV. JOSEPH CROSS. 



RICHMOND: 
SOLD BY JOHN EARLY 

1850. 



£•8 St" 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1846, by 

J. HARMSTEAD, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Penna, 



In Exchang® 
Duke Univoreity 
JUL 1 2 1933 






ADVEETISEMENT, 



The Sermons of Christmas Evans contained in this 
volume, and the extracts from his journal and other writ- 
ings given in the following Memoir and Portraiture, are 
translated by two different hands, and in very different 
styles. The former are clothed in very good English, but 
the diction of the latter requires an apology. Unable to 
procure a better version, we have furnished such as we 
found ; and it is hoped that even this, with all its imper- 
fections, will not be wholly unprofitable to the reader. 

The writer does not wish to be held responsible for the 
Theological Views put forth, either in the extracts alluded 
to, or in the sermons. Christmas Evans was a Calvinistic 
Baptist, and several of his sermons inculcate, to some ex- 
tent, the peculiar doctrines of that denomination ; though 
they are generally free from sectarian bias, and may be 
read with advantage by spiritual Christians of all evange- 
lical creeds. 

Joseph Cross. 

Philadelphia, May 10, 1846. 



CONTENTS. 



MEMOIR AND PORTRAITURE. 

Page 
Introduction ----------9 

Memoir. 

Early Years - - - - - - -- - -17 

Profession of Religion --------17 

Commencement of Preaching -------18 

Backsliding and Recovery ------- 19 

Change of Views - - -.- - -- - -19 

Depressing Views of Himself ----- - 20 

Labors in Leyn ------.----23 

Visit to South Wales -- 23 

Settlement in Anglesea --- - - - - - -24 

Powerful Sermons --------- 25 

Sandemanianism and Sabellianism ------ 27 

Time of Refreshing --------- 28 

Covenant with God - --------29 

Studying the English Language ------ 32 

New Troubles and Sorrows -------33 

Legal Prosecution --------- 35 

Caerphilly - - - -- -36 

Another Covenant --------- 37 

Cardiff 39 

Sermons for the Press -------- 41 

Welsh Jumping ----------42 

Caernarvon ---------- 49 

Pulpit Popularity -------.-50 

Interesting Letter --------- 51 

Tour through the Principality -------56 

Monmouthshire Association ------- 57 

Last Sermon, Sickness, and Death ------ 57 

Funereal Sorrow ------- ^. 58 

Portraiture. 

Personal Appearance -------- 59 

Moral and Christian Character -------59 

iL2 5 



6 



CONTENTS. 



Page 
Social Disposition ---------go 

Reading and Study -- 60 

Devotional Habits -- 61 

Christian Beneficence -- - - - - - - -63 

Spirit of Forgiveness ---63 

Catholic Generosity ---------64 

Ingenuousness and Honesty -------65 

Sarcastic Rebukes - - - - -- - - -66 

Pulpit Talents and Labors 67 

SERMONS. 
Introduction ----.----._79 

Serm. I. The Time of Reformation - - Heb. ix. 10. - 81 

II. The Triumph of Calvary - - - Isaiah Ixiii. 1 — 6. - 90 

III. The Srnitten Rock - - - 1 Cor. x. 4. - 99 

IV. Fall and Recovery of Man - - Rom. v. 15. -. - 108 
V. One God and One Mediator - - 1 Tim. ii. 5. - 120 

VI. The Living Redeemer - - - Job xix. 23 — 27. - 129 

VII. Messiah's Kingdom - - - Dan. ii. 44, 45. - 140 

VIII. The Sufferings of Christ - - - 1 Pet. ii. 24. - - 153 

IX. The Purification of Conscience - Heb. ix. 14. - 164 

X. The Cedar of God - - . - - Ezek. xvii. 22—24. - 172 

XI. The Prince of Salvation - - Heb. ii. 10., & v. 9. - 182 

XII. Finished Redemption - - - John xix. 30. - 189 

XIII. The Resurrection of Jesus - - Mat. xxviii. 6. -190 

XIV. The Ascension - - - . Acts iii. 21. - 205 
XV. Tribulation conquered - - John xvi. 33. - - 216 

XVL The Glory of the Gospel - - - iTim.i. 11. - 223 

XVII. The Song of the Angels - - Luke ii. 14. - - 236 

XVIII. The Stone of Israel - - - Zech. iii. 9. - 243 

XIX. Justification by Faith - - - Job ix. 2. - - 250 

XX. The Shield of Faith - - - Eph. vi. 16. - 259 

XXI. The Paraclete - - - - John xiv. 16, 17. - 269 

XXII. The Father and Son glorified - - John xvi. 13—15. 274 

EXTRACTS. 

I. The Demoniac of Gadara ~ ----_- 287 

II. Entering Port 292 

III. The Unclean Spirit in Dry Places 294 

IV. Satan an Angel of Light 296 

V. The Young Child 298 

VI. Varieties of Preaching ------- 300 

VII. The Six Crocodiles 301 

VIII. Envious Ambition 303 

IX. The Dove, the Raven, and the Eagle 304 



MEMOIR 



AND 



POETRAITURE 



CHEISTMAS EVANS. 



INTRODUCTION 



The introduction of Christianity into Britain is said to have 
taken place about sixty-three years after the crucifixion. By whose 
agency it was effected, cannot now be satisfactorily determined. 
Tradition has ascribed it to Joseph of Arimathea. This, however, 
is exceedingly doubtful. It has also been attributed to the apostle 
Paul. That the apostle Paul visited Britain, is quite probable, 
from the testimony of Theodoret and Jerome. That he was the 
first preacher of the gospel in Britain, is certainly a mistake. The 
weight of evidence seems to be in favour of Claudia, a Welsh lady, 
belonging to Caesar's household. The circumstances were these : — 

The Romans invaded Britain about fifty years before the incar- 
nation. Failing to conquer the Welsh, they made peace with them, 
and dwelt among them in amity. Many Welsh soldiers joined the 
Roman army, and several Welsh families went and resided at 
Rome. Among the latter were Claudia and her husband. Saint 
Paul was then a prisoner under Nero ; dwelling, however, "in his 
own hired house," and receiving all who came to hear the word of 
God. Under his ministry, Claudia was converted to Christianity. 
vShe soon returned to her native country, and scattered " the Seed 
of the Kingdom" among her own people. This was in the year 
of our Lord sixty-three. 

About a century after this, Faganus and Daminicanus went to 
Rome, were converted there, and became " able ministers of the 
New Testament." In the year of our Lord 180, they were 
sent back to -Wales, to preach to their own countrymen. They 
were zealous and successful laborers. They opposed the pagan 
superstitions of the Welsh with wonderful energy. They pur- 
sued Druidism to its dark retirements, and poured upon it the 
vrithering blaze of the gospel. Through their preaching, Lucius, 
9 ' 9 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

king of Wales, was brought to embrace Christianity. He was the 
first king that ever bowed to the Prince of Peace. The royal con- 
vert was exceedingly zealous in the propagation of the truth. The 
Macedonian cry issued from the throne of Wales, an earnest 
appeal to Eleutherius for help. Then " the word of the Lord had 
free course, and was glorified." 

Under the reign of Dioclesian, about the year 300, the Welsh 
Christians suffered a dreadful persecution. Their books w^ere 
burned, their houses of worship were destroyed, and multitudes 
obtained the crown of martyrdom. The first three were Alban, 
Aaron, and Julius. They were all excellent men, and greatly 
beloved by their brethren. They died in triumph, and their blood 
became the seed of the church. Many others soon followed them 
in the same path. Dioclesian. gave strict orders for their destruc- 
tion. Not a Christian was to be spared, not a Christian church, 
not a book or a scrap of writing that could transmit their f^ith and 
history to future generations. This was the tenth persecution. The 
great dragon had sent forth his flood to destroy the church. But 
*^ mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." The bush still 

lived, 

"And flourished unconsumed in fire." 

The first Christian king, we have said, was a Welshman. So, in 
part, was the first Christian em.peror. Constantine the Great was 
born in Britain. His father was Roman ; his mother Welsh. Having 
resided some time in Britain, they removed to Rome. Constantine 
ascended the Imperial throne. Converted, he made Christianity 
the religion of the empire. The intolerant edicts of his predeces- 
sors were abolished; and the absurd rites of paganism, as far as 
possible, suppressed. The emperor employed all his energies and 
resources in spreading the gospel. But his course, if honest, was 
injudicious. In the end, he dishonoured Christianity more by his 
imprudence than he glorified her at first by his zeal. He opened 
the door of the church so wide as to admit Antichrist himself. 
The " man of sin" came and seated himself in the temple of God. 

Intoxicated with her prosperity, the church throughout the 
empire gradually embraced the grossest superstitions. But the 
Welsh Christians strenuously resisted all innovations. They 
adhered firmly to the primitive simplicity of Christian faith and 
worship. Yet they lost a portion of their spirituality. The storms 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

of tribulation are often more favourable to the growth of vital 
religion, than the sunshine of prosperity. The church becomes 
dizzy when placed upon the pinnacle of worldly praise. The 
boatmen wax careless when their crafl glides gently along on a 
smooth sea, before 'a pleasant gale. This is the natural tendency 
of the human mind, in circumstances of prosperity. It was thus 
with the Christians of Wales. 

Other things operated unfavourably. The Pelagian controversy 
divided and distracted the churches, and destroyed the spirit of 
Christian meekness and- love. The Welsh were soon involved in a 
civil war with the Picts and Scots. In their distress, they solicited 
the aid of the Saxons. The Saxons promptly responded to the 
call. But the ally soon became an enemy. They fell upon the 
Welsh, drove them to the mountains of Cumry, and took posses- 
sion of their land.* These disasters threatened the extermination 
of Christianity in Wales. But there were a few faithful ones, 
whose -ark outrode the deluge. Gildas, Dyfrig, Dynawt, Teil, 
Padarn, Pawlin, Daniel, Codag, Dewi, and several others, stood 
firmly against the degeneracy of the times, and were " valiant for 
the truth upon the earth." Through their labors, the rehgion of 
Jesus survived among the hills of Cumry. 

In the beginning of the seventh century, Austin came to Britain, 
under a commission from Gregory the Great, to make proselytes to 
popery. He succeeded well with the Saxons, but not at all with 
the Welsh. This is not strange. The Saxons were ignorant 
idolaters, and the transition was easy from Paganism to popery. 
The Welsh were enlightened Christians, and it was difficult to seduce 
them from their allegiance to Christ. They consented, however, 
to hold a large meeting on the borders of Herefordshire, and hear 
what Austin had to offer. His doctrine did not suit them. They 
rejected alike the proposals of the monk and the commands of his 
master. This awoke the fiend within him. He instigated the 
Saxons to murder them. Twelve hundred ministers and delegates 
were slaughtered, and afterward many of their ' brethren. Their 
leaders being slain, the majority of the survivors reluctantly pur- 
chased peace at the sacrifice of conscience, submitting to the creed 

* Down to this time, the Welsh inhabited all of what, is now denominated 
England. But henceforth they are confined to the western part of the island, 
called Cumry, or Wales. 



* V 

12 INTRODUCTION. 

and the usages of*Rome. Yet there were some who. repudiated 
the doctrine of the pope's supremacy, and maintained for a season 
the simplicity of the gospel. But they lived among the mountains, 
in seclusion from the world, like the inhabitants of the vale of 
Piedmont. We hear little or nothing of them again till the time 
of the Reformation. 

While the Lord, through the labors of his servant Wickliffe, 
was preparing his way in England, Wales also was remembered in 
mercy, and visited with " the day-spring from on high." Walter 
Brute was a native of the principality. He had been af Oxford, 
where he had formed an intimate acquaintance with Wickliffe. He 
entered fully into Wickliffe's views concerning the reformation of 
the church. His heart was moved with compassion for his country- 
men. Inspired with apostolic faith and zeal, he left the university,- 
and returned to his native land. He determined to resist, even 
" unto blood," the delusions and abominations of the papacy. He 
soon distinguished himself as a courageous reformer. He preached 
in the streetSj in the markets, and from house to house. He blew 
the trump of God throughout the principality. The temple of 
Antichrist began to tremble, and its gilded and pampered occu- 
pants manifested considerablei uneasiness and alarm.' 

Everybody saw that Brute was generous and disinterested. 
Friends flocked around him, for the people had long since become 
disgusted with the corruptions of the church, and heartily sick of 
ecclesiastical despotism. Men. of all classes gathered to" his standard.' 
His labors of love soon elicited, of course, the hostility of the 
clergy. But so numerous and respectable were his friends, that all 
the attempts of ecclesiastical judicatures, and officers of the civil 
law, were ineffectual. A petition was at length sent to Richard H., 
King of England, entreating his interference. The king issued an 
order to the nobility of Wales, requiring them to assist the Bishop 
of Hereford in apprehending and punishing the heretic and his 
adherents. This was in the year 1391. Still Walter Brute went 
on, preaching the gospel, denouncing the papacy, and exposing 
the corruptions of the church, without material molestation, till 
1393. He was then cited to appear befbre the Bishop of Hereford ^ 
to answer to a charge of heresy. He appeared, defended himself 
against the allegation, and contended boldly that the pope was 
Antichrist, and the papal church Babylon. 



INTRODUCTION. . 13 

In this argument, Brute triumphed over his accusers, and made 
many converts to his cause. Several of the clergy now embraced 
his views, and became zealous defenders of the faith. One of 
these, Davydd Ddu of Hiraddug, on the border of Cardiganshire, 
undertook a translation of the Scriptures into Welsh. Portions of 
this translation were extensively circukted. Another, John Kent, 
D. D., of Grismond, in Monmouthshire, was a learned man and a 
fine poet. He labored incessantly with his pen, to expose the 
vices of the clergy, and promote a more spiritual religion. These 
di-v-ines were variously opposed and persecuted by ecclesiastical 
power. . They were stigmatized as magicians, and accused of in- 
tercourse with evil spirits. But all was unavailing. The. z.eal of 
Ddu and Kent, was unabated,- and the progress of truth was ume- 
tarded. The hand of God was with them wherever they went. 
Revivals occurred in .the cloisters, and monks came forth from their 
seclusion to reinforce the reformers. In the monastery of Margam, 
Glamorganshire, a large number of the monks were converted. 
One of them, Thomas Evan ab Rhys, travelled the mountains of 
the principality, at the constant peril of his life, to remonstrate 
against popery, and recommend a purer form of Christianity. 
• In 1580, John Penry, an Episcopal minister, dissented from the 
established church, and became a Baptist. He was a man of 
liberal education. and fine pulpit talents. After having prosecuted 
his ministry more than seven years, with remarkable zeal and suc- 
cess, he died a martyr. Penry was the first Baptist preacher in 
Wales after the Reformation. 

In 16-20, Erbury and Wroth followed his example. The con- 
version of the latter was very singular. A nobleman belonging to 
his parish went to London to attend a law-suit. Hearing that he 
was successful, Mr. Wroth bought a new violin, and prepared to 
welcome his return with music and dancing. While these prepa- 
rations were going on, news came that the nobleman was dead. 
The joy of the part}- was suddenly turned into mourning. The 
vicar fell upon his knees, and poured out his heart in fervent prayer 
to God. This event occasioned his conversion. Erbury, his 
friend, was converted about the same time. Both began to preach 
with wonderful unction. " Jesus Christ and him crucified" was their 
constant theme. Their z^al drew down upon them a violent storm 
of persecution. But they were not discouraged. God owned their 

B 



14 ^ INTJIOBUCTION. 

labors, and many were the seals of their ministry. In 1635 they 
were ejected from their parishes. But they " cared for none -of 
these things." They went from valley to valley, from mountain 
to mountain, preaching the word. The recent Welsh translation 
of the Scriptures proved a powerful auxiliary to their work. People 
read and investigated for themselves, and found that these were 
men of .God, speaking " the words of truth and soberness." 

Erbury and Wroth both organized Baptist churches ; the former, 
on the plan of " strict communion ;" the latter, on more liberal prin- 
ciples. These were the first Baptist churches instituted in Wales, 
after the Reformation from popery. It is said, however, that there 
existed, even centuries before, many Baptists in the valley of Car- 
leon, the Piedmont of Wales, and among the neighboring moun- 
tains. Their origin is, very unfortunately, involved in obscurity. 
Some . pretend to trace them back to the year 63, the time of the 
introduction of Christianity into Britain. This is a very coiivenient 
theory for those who wish to show that the first Christians w^efe 
exclusive immersionists ; and who deem it of primary importance 
to establish a regular succession of such Christians, from the apos- 
tles of our Lord, down to the present day. Biit it is unsustained by 
a single shadow of evidence, beyond the bare assertion of interested 
witnesses. 

During the ministry of Erbury and Wroth, arose that morning- 
star of the Baptist church in Wales, Vavasor Pow^ell. He was born 
in Radnorshire, South Wales. He was educated for the ministry 
of the established church. For some time he officiated at Clun, on 
the borders of Shropshire. While there, his conscience was awakened 
by a reproof from a Puritan for violating the Sabbath. He was 
soon afterwards converted, under the preaching of Walter Caradock, 
a noted preacher among the Independents. In 1636, he joined the 
Baptists, and shortly became a very popular preacher among them. 
He was a man of great eloquence and power. Many were con- 
verted under his ministry. " But Ihe red dragon was roused to 
pursue him. In 1642, he fled his native land for the safety of his 
life. In four years, however, he returned, and preached boldly 
throughout the country. The people flocked to bear him, by thou- 
sands, to the market-houses, to the fields, the woods, and the tops 
of the mountains. His ministry was wonderfully blessed to the sal- 
vation of souls. 



INTRODUCTION. Id 

After the death of Cromwell, in 1658, Charles II. returned to 
England. Now commenced a dreadful persecution of the Baptists 
in Wales. " Hundreds of them were taken from their beds at 
night, without any regard to age, sex, or the inclemency of the 
weather; and were driven to prison, on foot, fifteen or twenty 
miles ; and if they did not, keep iip with their, drivers on horseback, . 
th^y -were most cruelly and unmercifully whipped ; and while their 
drivers stopped to drink at the taverns, they were beaten like cattle, 
during^the pleasure af the king's friends ; and all their property was 
forfeited to the king, except what, was deemed necessary to defray 
the expenses of their drivers. But all this was only the beginning 
of sorrows, a'nd ixothing to what they suffered for the space of six- 
and- twenty years afterward." 

In these persecutions. Vavasor Powell bore his part. . He was 
immured, at different times, in thirteen prisons. Indeed,, he was a 
prisoner most- of the time till .his ' death, which happened in 1670. 
On his tomb is this inscription : — '^ He was, to the last generation, 
a successful preacher"; to the -present generation, a faithful witness; 
to the next generation, an excellent example." 

Contemporary with Vavasor Powell, and immediately succeeding 
him, were many faithful laborers in the cause of Christ in Wales. 
One of them was the noted Roger Williams, who subsequently re- 
moved to New England, and founded the Baptist sect in A.merica. 
•But after the death of Powell and his coadjutors, the revival -in 
Wales declined, and the churches gradually settled into a spiritual 
sleep, in which they remained a century, when they were roused 
by the trumpet-tongued eloquence of Harris and Rowlands. 

Harris and Rowlands were Methodists. While Whitefield and 
Wesley were rekindling the fires of the Reformation on the altars 
of England, these men of -God were scattering some sparks of it 
among the mountains of Wales. Under tbejr labors commenced 
such a revival as was never* known in that country before. They 
adhered to the established church ; and, on that account, were, for 
a season, but little opposed. But when the blessed fruits of their 
ministry began to be developed in the conversion of thousands of 
souls, the wrath of Satan and his emissaries arose against them. 
But, as Christmas Evans remarks, it was now too late. The sword 
of the Spirit w^as drawn ; the gates of the city were opened ; the fire 
was kindled in the stubble, and not all the floods of persecution 



. i 



16 INTRODUCTIOX. 

could stay the progress 'of the flame. Harris and Rowlands went 
forward in 4;heir work of love, clothed witli power from on high. 
A great and effectual door was opened to their ministry, and the 
leaven spread rapidly through the lump. . 

The Baptists shared largely, in this work of grace. It was the 
rising of a new sun upon them, which had been heralded a hundred 
years before in the powerful ministry of Vavasor Powell. The re- 
vival developed whatever of talent and energy lay dormant in the 
denomination. Many a David went foij:h to jneet the Philistine, 
and returned in triumph. One of these, and the most successful of 
them all, was Christmas Evans* " He was a man of God," says 
Dr. Cone, " and eminently useful in his. generation." His natural 
talents were of the highest order, and his Christian graces have not 
been surpassed in a century. The celebrated Robert Hall regarded 
him as the first pulpit genius of the age. " Had he) e"njoyei^ the 
advantages of education," writes one who knew him well, and 
often sat under his ministry, "he might have blended the impas- 
sioned declamation of Whitefield with something of the imperial 
opulence and pomp of fancy that distinguished Jeremy Taylor." 
His two celebrated " Specimens of Welsh Preaching" have been 
read throughout Protestant Christendom ; and ranked, by universal 
suffrage, among the most splendid productions' of sanctified genius. 
Who that has seen them does not wish to know more of so remark- 
able a man? • To gratify this desire is a secondary object of the 
present publication ; the primary, is the religious benefit of man- 
kind. The matter of the following memoir and portraiture is com- 
piled from several authentic sources of information. May their 
perusal 'afford the reader as rich a harvest of profit and delight as 
their .preparation has afforded the writer! ■: 



MEMOIR 



EARLY YEARS. 

Christmas Evans, second son of Samuel and Joanna Evans, was 
born at Ysgarwen, Cardiganshire, South Wales, on the 25th of De- 
cember, 1776. His birth happening on Christmas day suggested 
his Christian name. 

Samuel and Joanna Evans were poor, and unable to educate 
their children; and at the age of seventeen, Christmas could not 
read a word. When he was only nine years old, he lost his father 
and went to live with his uncle, who was a farmer, and a very 
wicked man. Here he spent several years of his youthful life, daily 
witnessing the worst of examples, and experiencing the unkindest 
of treatment. He subsequently engaged as a servant to several 
farmers successively in his native parish. 

During these years he met with a number of serious accidents, 
in some of which he narrowly escaped with his life. Once he was 
stabbed in a quarrel. Once he was so nearly drowned as to be with 
difficulty resuscitated. Once he fell from a very high tree, with an 
open knife in his hand. Once a horse ran away with him, passing" 
at full speed through a low and narrow passage. 

PROFESSION OF RELIGION. 

His first religious impressions he dates from his father's funeral. 
But they were fitful and evanescent. To use his own language, 
*' They vanished and recurred once and again." When he was 
eighteen years of age, an awakening occurred among the young 
people of his neighborhood. Christmas himself was " much 
terrified with the fear of death and judgment," became very serious 
in his deportment, and joined the Arminian Presb}i;erians at 
Llwynrhy d o wen . 

His Christian experience was evidently very imperfect. He had 
a conviction of the evil of sin, and a desire to flee from the wrath 
3 b2 17 



18 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

to come ; but no evidence of acceptance mth God, and a very 
limited knowledge of the plan of salvation. Yet his religious im- 
pressions were not entirely fruitless. They produced, at least, a 
partial reformation of life, and led to many penitential resolutions. 
He thought much of eternity, and was frequent in secret prayer. 
He soon felt a strong desire to understand the Scriptures, and with 
this view began 'to learn to read. According to his own account, 
" There was not one in seven in those parts at that time that knew a 
letter." Almost entirely unaided, he prosecuted his purpose; 
and in an incredibly short time was a^le to read his Bible. 



COMMENCEMENT OF PREACHING. 

He was now called upon to exercise his gifts in public prayer and 
exhortation. ". To this," he says, '' I felt a strong inclination, 
thoifgh I knew myself a mass of spiritual ignorance." His first 
performance was so generally approved, that he felt greatly en- 
couraged to proceed. Shortly afterward, he preached. a sermon at a 
•prayer-meeting, in the parish of Llangeler, county of Caermarthen. 
The discourse, however, was not original, but a translation from 
Bishop Beveridge. He also committed one of the Rev. Mr. Row- 
lands' sermons, and preached it in the neighborhood of the church 
to " which he belonged. A gentleman who heard him expressed 
great astonishment at such a sermon from an unlettered boy. The 
mystery was solved the next day ; he found the sermon in a book. 
"But I have not done thinking," said he, " that there is something 
great in the son of Samuel the shoemaker, for his prayer was as 
good as the sermon." His opinion of the young preacher w^ould 
probably have suffered some farther abatement, if he had known,, 
what was the fact, that the prayer itself was memorized ! 

Young Evans now received frequent invitations to preach, in 
sundry places, for different denominations ; especially in the Baptist 
church, at Penybont, Llandysil. He spoke occasionally in the 
pulpits of several eminent ministers. All who heard him were 
delighted with his discourses, and gave him much encouragement. 
These labors drew him into the society of many excellent Chris- 
tians. He seems to have profited by their godly conversation, 
and soon acquired an experimental knowledge of justification by 
failh, though the witness of the Spirit was not so clear as in many. 



MEiMOm OF EVAXS. 19. 

cases, and h.e could never fix upon any particular time when he 
obtained the blessing. 



BACKSLIDING AND RECOVERY. • 

The young -preacher shortly felt the need of a little more learning, 
to qualify him for his calling. He commenced going to school to 
the Rev. Mr. Davis, his pastor,' and devoted himself for about six 
months to the study of Latin. This involved him in .pecuniary dis- 
tress. He took a journey into England, to labour during the harvest 
season, for the purpose of replenishing his purse, and enabling him 
to continue his studies. While thus engaged, he fell into tempta- 
tion, and his religious feelings suffered a sad declension. He thought 
of relinquishing the school and the ministry, and devoting his life to 
secular pursuits. .While revolving this matter in his mind, the chil- 
dren of the wicked one came upon him, and buffetted him back to 
his duty. He was waylaid by a mob, who had determined to kill 
him. They beat him so severely, that he lay for a long time in- 
sensible ; and one of them gave him a blow upon his left eye, which 
occasioned its total blindness through the rest of his life. 

" That night,"" says he, " I dreamed that the day of judgment 
was come. I saw Jesus on the clouds, and all the world on fire. 
I was .in great fear, yet crying earnestly, and with some confidence, 
for his peace; He answered and said : * Thou thoughtest to be a 
preacher ; but what wilt thou do now? The world is on fire, and 
it is too late !' On this I awoke, and felt heartily thankful that I 
was in bed." • 

This dream produced a deep impression upon his -mind, and re- 
covered him from his spiritual declension. He began to preach 
with renewed energy" and success, and all his friends predicted that 
he would "yet- become a great man, and a celebrated preacher." 

CHANGE OF VIEWS. 

There was living, about this time, at Aberduar, ^ Mr. Amos, who 
had left the Arminian Presbyterians, and joined the Calvinistic 
Baptists. He came to ^^isit young Evans, and converse with him 
on the subject of baptism. The latter was unpractised in argu- 
ment, and little acquainted with the Scriptures. He strove strenu- 



20 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

ously for a while, but was at length silenced by the superior skill of 
his antagonist. Encouraged by his success, Mr. Amos made him 
another visit, during which he shook his faith in the validity of 
infant baptism. After this he came again and again. Mr. Evans 
was at length brought to believe there was no true baptism but im- 
mersion by a Baptist minister. Now it was suggested that he ought 
to be immersed. Other Baptist friends interested themselves in his 
case, and put into his hands such books as were best adapted to their 
purpose. He was shortly satisfied what was his -duty. '' After 
much struggling," says he, " between the flesh and the spirit, be- 
tween obedience and disobedience, I went to the Baptist church at 
Aberduar, in the parish of Llanybyther, in the county of Caermar- 
then. I was cordially received there, but not without a degree of 
dread, on the part of some, that I was still a stout-hearted Armi- 
nian." He was baptized with several others, by the pastor. Rev. 
Timothy Thomas, in the river Duar, and admitted to the commu- 
nion of the church. This was in 1788, when Mr. Evans was about 
the age of 22. 

It is not strange, that, after such a change, he should gradually 
imbibe the doctrine of election, and its concomitants, as held by the 
Calvinistic Baptists ; but it is quite evident, not only by inference 
from his own account, but by information from other sources, that 
he had not yet relinquished his Arminian theology. Whether he 
would have been more pious and useful, by adhering to his Armi- 
nian views, and remaining among his Arminian friends, is a question 
not for us to answer, and perhaps of little practical importance. It 
is certain that he became a Calvinist of the highest school, and "a 
burning and shining light" among his Baptist brethren. That the 
Calvinistic faith is not incompatible with eminent holiness of life, we 
have other evidence than that afforded by the history of Christmas 
Evans. The seraphic piety of a Bunyan, a Baxter, a Whitefield, 
and a Payson, should silence for ever the clamors of Arminian 
bigotry ! 

DEPRESSING VIEWS OF HIMSELF, 

For several years after this, Mr. Evans entertained painfully de- 
pressing views of his Christian character and ministerial talents. 
He thought every other believer had more light than himself, and 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. 21 

erery other preacher greater gifts. He called himself " a mass of 
ignorance and sin." He imagined his discourses entirely useless to 
his hearers. This he attributed partly to his habit of repeating them 
memoriter.' Others appeared to him to speak extemporaneously, 
and he " thought they received their sermons directly from hea- 
ven," while he, by memorizing his, forfeited the aid of the Holy 
Spirit. "'I therefore changed my method," says he, " and took a 
text without any premeditation, and endeavored to speak what oc- 
cuiTed to me at the time. If bad before, it was worse now. I had 
neither sense nor life, nothing but a poor miserable tone, which pro- 
duced no effect upon the hearers, and made me really sick of my- 
self. I thought God had nothing to do with me as a preacher. I 
had no confidence in my own talents and virtues, and the very 
sound of my voice discouraged me. I have since perceived the 
great goodness of God herein, preserving me from being puffed up 
by too good an opinion of my own gifts and graces, which both 
before and since has proved fatal to many young preachers." 

These views of himself often occasioned him deep distress of 
mind. He entered the pulpit with dread. He conceived that the 
mere sight of him there was sufficient to becloud the hearts of his 
hearers, and intercept every ray of light from heaven. He could 
not ascertain that he had been the means of the salvation of a single 
soul during the five years of his preaching. It might have been 
some reUef to him, could he have ventured to develope to some 
judicious Christian friend the disquietude of his soul. But this he 
dared not do, lest he should be deemed an unconverted man in the 
ministry, and exposed as a hypocrite to the world. So he wrapped 
up the painful secret in his heart, and drank his wormwood alone. 

From all this, what are we to infer ? That Mr. Evans had never 
been converted, or was not now in favour with God ? We think 
not. All who knew him had full confidence in his piety, and 
thought him an excellent Christian. Whether his attention to the 
subject of baptism, or the Calvinistic views he had recently im- 
bibed, had acted injuriously upon his religious enjoyment, would 
be an unprofitable speculation, if not otherwise improper. Perhaps 
these distressing doubts were but the permitted buffetings of Satan, 
to preserve him from spiritual pride; the preparatory darkness^ 
which enabled him more highly to appreciate, and more earnestly 
to recommend to others, "the Bright and Morning Star." Many 



22 MEMOIR OF EVANS. * 

of God's chosen servants have been disciplined for their work in 
darkness. Dr. Payson, during all the earlier part of his eminently 
useful ministry, and John Summerfield, when his sweet persuasive 
tongue was leading multitudes to the Cross, were constantly dis- 
tressed with doubts of their own spiritual condition. Though it is 
certainly the privilege of every believer to know that he is "a new 
creature in Christ Jesus," we cannot thence infer that all such as 
have not constantly the direct witness of. the Spirit are in an unre- 
generate state. ^ - 

LABORS IN LEYN. 

In 1790, Mr. Evans attended the Baptist association at Maesy- 
berllan, in Brecknockshire, . Some ministers from North Wales 
persuaded him to accompajiy them on their return. He found the 
Baptist people at Leyn, in Caernarvonshire, few and feeble. They 
earnestly besought him to remain with them, to which he at length 
. consented. He was immediately ordained a missionary, to itinerate 
among several small churches in that vicinity. 

Now he began emphatically to "• live by faith on the Son of God." 
The burden which he had borne so long, rolled away like that of 
Bunyan's Pilgrim. He received '•' the oil of joy for mourning, and 
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." From this time, 
a wonderous power attended his preaching. Many were gathered 
into the church, as the fruit of his labor. " I could scarcely 
believe," says he, "the testimony of the people, who came before 
the church as candidates for membership, that they had been con- 
verted through my ministry. Yet I was obliged to believe, though 
it was marvellous in my eyes. This made me thankful to God, 
and increased my confidence. in prayer, A delightful gale descended 
upon me, as from the hill of the New Jerusalem, and I felt the three 
great things of the kingdom- of heaven, righteousness, and peace, 
and joy in the Holy Ghost." 

During the first year of his labors in Leyn, he was* united in 
marriage to Miss Catherine Jones, a pious young lady of his owii 
church, and a very suitable companion. After this event, his 
duties were increasingly arduous. He frequently preached five 
times during the Sabbath, "and walked twenty miles. His heart 
was full of love, and he spoke with the ardor of a seraph. Con- 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. ' 23 

stant labor and intense excitement soon wore upon his health. He 
became feeble, and his friends were apprehensive of- consumption. 
Through the mercy of God, however, he was spared-; gradually 
recovered his strength ; and performed, through the remainder of a 
long life, an incredible amount of ministerial labor. 



VISIT TO SOUTH WALES. , * 

Mr. Evans naturally felt a strong desire to see his friends in South 
Wales. During his second year at Leyn, thinking it might benefit 
his enfeebled health, as well as refresh his spirit, he determined 
to make them a visit. He was unable to procure a horse for the 
journey, and the small societies to which he preached were too poor 
to provide him one. So he set forth on foot, preaching in every 
town and village through which he passed. His talents were now 
developed, and he had received/' an unction from the -Holy One." 
All who heard him were astonished at his power. His old acquaint- 
ances regarded him as a new man. A great awakening followed 
him wherever he wentr Hear his own language : — 

" I now felt a power in the word, like a hammer breaking the 
rock, and not like a rush. I had a very powerful time at Kilvowyr, 
and also pleasant meetings in the neighborhood of Cardigan. The 
work of conversion was progressing so rapidly and with so much 
energy in those parts, that the ordinance of baptism was admin- 
istered every month for a year or more, at Kilvowyr, Cardigan, 
BlaenyAvaun, BlaenfTos, and Ebenezer, to from ten to twenty per- 
sons each month. The chapels and adjoining burying- grounds 
were crowded with hearers of a week-day, even in the middle of 
harvest. I frequently preached in the open air in the evenings, 
and the rejoicing, singing, and praising would continue until broad 
light the next morning. The hearers appeared melted down in 
tenderness at the different meetings, so that they wept streams of 
tears, and cried out, in such a manner that one might suppose the 
whole congregation, male and female, was thoroughly dissolved by 
the gospel. * The word of God' was now become as '' a sharp two- 
edged sword, dividing asunder the joints and marrow,' and reveal- 
ing unto the people the secret corruptions of their hearts. Preach- 
mg was now unto me a pleasure, and the success of the ministry 
in all places was very great. The same people attended fifteen or 



24 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

twenty different meetings, many miles apart, in the counties of 
Cardigan, Pembroke, Caermarthen, Glamorgan, Monmouth, and 
Brecknock. This revival, especially in the vicinity of Cardigan, 
and in Pembrokeshire, subdued the whole country, and induced 
people everywhere to think well of religion. The same heavenly 
gale followed down to Fishguard, Llangloffan, Little Nev/-Castle, 
and Rhydwylim, where Mr. Gabriel Rees was then a zealous and a 
powerful preacher. There was such a tender spirit resting on the 
hearers at this season, from Tabor to Middlemill, that one would 
imagine, by their weeping and trembling in their places of worship, 
and all this mingled with so much heavenly cheerfulness, that they 
would wish to abide for ever in this state of mind." 

The fame of this " wonderful work of God" spread through 
South Wales on the wings of the wind. An appointment for 
Christmas Evans to preach was sufficient to attract thousands to' the 
place. In a very short time he had acquired greater popularity in 
Wales than any other minister of his day. 

SETTLEMENT IN ANGLESEA. 

On Christmas day, w^hen Mr. Evans was forty-six years of age, 
he removed from Leyn to the isle of Anglesea. According to his 
own account, "it was a very rough day of frost and snow." Unen- 
cumbered with this world's goods, and possessing the true apostolic 
spirit, he "commenced the journey on horseback, with his wife 
behind him," and arrived on the evening of the same day at 
Llangewin. 

Whatever the motive of this removal, it was certainly not the 
love of money. His salaiy in Anglesea was only .£17 per annum, 
ana for twenty years he never asked for more. He had learned, 
with the apostle, " having food and raiment, therewith to be 
content." He found his reward in his work. The privilege of 
preaching Christ and saving souls, with him, was preferable to 
mountains of gold and silver. 

On his arrival in Anglesea, he found ten small Baptist societies, 
m a lukewarm and distracted condition ; himself the only minister, 
and no brother to aid him within a hundred and fifty miles. He 
commenced his labors in earnest. One of his first movements was 
the appointment of a day of fasting and prayer in all the preaching 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. 25 

places. He soon had the salisfaction to realize an extensive 
revival, which continued under his faithful ministry for many years. 



POWERFUL SERMONS. 

In 1794, the South West- Baptist Association was held at Velin 
Voel, in Caermarthenshire. Mr. Evans was invited, as one of the 
preachers on the occassion. It was a journey of about two hundred 
miles. He undertook it on foot, with his usual fortitude, preaching 
at different places as he went along. The meeting was to com- 
mence with three consecutive sermons, the last of which was to be 
preached by JNIr. Evans. The service was out of doors, and the 
heat was very oppressive. The first and second sermons were 
rather tedious, and the hearers seemed almost stupefied. Mr. 
Evans arose and began his sermon. Before he had spoken fifteen 
minutes, scores of people were on their feet, some weeping, some 
praising, some leaping and clapping their hands for joy. Nor did 
the effect end with the discourse. Throughout the evening, and 
during the, whole night, the voice of rejoicing and prayer w^as heard 
in every direction ; and the dawning of the next day, awaking the 
few that had fallen asleep through fatigue, only renewed the 
heavenly rapture. " Job David, the Socinian," said the preacher 
afterwards to a friend, " was highly displeased with this American 
gale." But all the Spcinians in Wales could not counteract its 
influence, or frustrate its happy effects. 

Mr. Evans continued to visit the associations in South Wales for 
many years : and whenever he came, the people flocked by thou- 
sands to hear "the one-eyed man of Anglesea." It was on one of 
those occasions, and under circumstances somewhat similai' to the 
above, that he preached that singularly effective sermon on the 
demoniac of Gadara. The meeting had been in progress three 
days. Sev-eral discourses had been delivered with little or no 
effect. • Christmas Evans took the stand, and announced as his 
text the evangelical account of the demoniac of Gadara. He 
described him as a naked man, with flaming eyes, and wild and 
fierce gesticulation ; full of relentless anger, and subject to strange 
paroxysms of rage ; the terror and pity of all the townsfolk. They 
had bound him with great chains, but he would break them as 
Samson broke the withes. They had tried to soothe him bv 
4 C 



26 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

kindness, but he would leap upon them like a furious wild beast, 
or burst away mth the speed of a stag, his long hair streaming on 
the wind behind him. He inhabited the rocks of a Jewish cemetery ; 
and when he slept, he laid down in a tomb. The place was a 
iitde out of town, and not far from the great turnpike road, so that 
people passing often saw him, and heard his dreadful lamentations 
and blasphemies. Nobody dared to cross his path unarmed, and 
all the women and children ran away as soon as they saw him 
coming. Sometimes he sallied forth from his dismal abode at mid- 
night, like one risen from the dead, howling and cursing like a 
fiend, breaking into houses, frightening the inhabitants from their 
beds, and driving them to seek shelter in the streets and the fields. 
He had a broken-hearted wife, and five little children, living about 
a mile and a half distant. . In his intervals of comparative calmness, 
he would set out to visit them. On his way, the evil spirit would 
come upon him, and transform the husband and father instantly into 
a fury. Then he would run toward the house, raving like a 
wounded tiger, and roaring like a lion upon his prey. He would 
spring against the door, and shatter it into fragments ; w^hile the 
poor wife and children fled through the back door to the neighbors, 
or concealed themselves in the cellar. Then he would spoil 
the furniture, and break all the dishes, and bound away howling 
again to his home in the cemetery. The report of this mysterious 
and terrible being had spread through all the surrounding region, 
and everybody dreaded and pitied the man among the tombs. 
Jesus came that way. The preacher described the interview, the 
miracle, the happy change in the sufferer, the transporting surprise 
of his long afflicted family. Then, shifting the scene, he showed 
his hearers the catastrophe of the swine, the flight of the affrighted 
herdsman, his amusing report to his master, and the effect of the 
whole upon the populace. All this was done with such dramatic 
effect, as to convulse his numerous hearers with alternate laughter 
and weeping for more than half an hour. Having thus elicited an 
intense interest in the subject, he proceeded to educe from the 
narrative several important doctrines, which he illustrated so 
forcibly, and urged so powerfully-, that the people first became pro- 
foundly serious, then wept like mourners at a funeral, and finally 
threw themselves on the ground, and broke forth in loud prayers 
for mercy ; and the preacher continued nearly three hours, the effect 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. 27 

irxCreasing till he closed. One who heard that wonderful sermon 
says, that, during the first half hour, the people seemed like an 
assembly in a theatre, delighted with an amusing play ; after that, 
like a community in -mourning, over some great and good man, cut 
off by a sudden calamity ; and at last, like the inhabitants of a city 
shaken by an earthquake, rushing into the streets, falling upon the 
earth, and screaming and calling upon God [* 



SANDEMANIANISM AND SABELLIANISM. 

About this time arose among the Baptists of North Wales a bitter 
and distracting controversy, concerning Sandemanianism and Sa- 
bellianism, which had been introduced by the Rev. Mr. Jones, a 
man of considerable learning and influence in the denomination. 
Mr. Evans was at first inclined to fall in with these doctrines, and 
participated largely in the strife of tongues. He says : — 

"The Sandemanian system affected me so far as to quench the 
spirit of prayer for the conversion of sinners, and it induced in my 
mind a greater regard for the smaller things of the kingdom of hea- 
ven than for the greater. I lost the streng-th which clothed my mind 
with zeal, confidence, and earnestness in the pulpit for the conver- 
sion of souls to Christ. My heart retrograded, in a manner, and I 
could not realize the testimony of a good conscience. Sabbath 
nights, after having been in the day exposing and vilifying with all 
bitterness the errors that prevailed, my conscience felt as if dis- 
pleased, and reproached me that I had lost nearness to, and walking 
with God. It would intimate that something exceedingly precious 
was now wanting in me ; I would reply, that I was acting in obedi- 
ence to the word ; but it continued to accuse me of the want of 
some precious article. I had been robbed, to a great degree, of the 
spirit of prayer and of the spirit of preaching.^ 

Mr. Evans thus describes the effect of this controversy upon his 
people : — 

" The Sandemanian spirit began to manifest itself in the counties 
of Merioneth, Caernarvon, Anglesea, and Denbigh, and the first 
visible effect was the subversion of the hearers, for which the system 
was pecuharly adapted ; intimating, as it did, that to Babylon the 

* A part of this sermon, as delivered on another occasionj is given in thg 
latter part of this volume. 



28 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

crowd of hearers always belonged. We lost, in Anglesea, nearly 
all those who ^vere accustomed to attend with us ; sonie of them 
joined other congregations ; and, in this w^ay, it pulled down nearly 
all that had been built up in twelve or fifteen years, and made us 
appear once again a mean and despicable party in the view of the 
country. The same effects followed it in a greater or lesser degree 
in the other counties noticed ; but its principal station appears to 
have been in Merionethshire ; this county seems to have been par- 
ticularly prepared for its reception, and here it achieved by some 
means a s,ort of supremacy." • 



TIME OF REFRESHING 

^Ir. Evans had been a long time in this controversy, destitute of 
all religious enjoyment, or, to use his own expressive phrase, " as 
dry as Gilboa," w^hen he experienced a remarkable refreshing from 
the presence of the Lord. The following account is extracted from 
his journal: — 

" I was weary of a cold heart towards Christ, and his sacrifice, 
and the work of his Spirit — ^of a cold heart in the pulpit, in secret 
prayer, and in the study. For fifteen years previously, I had felt 
my heart burning within, as if going to Emmaus with Jesus. On a 
day ever to be remembered by me, as I was going from Dolgelley 
to Machynlleth, and climbing up towards Cadair Idris, I considered 
it to be incumbent upon me to prafy, however hard I felt my heart, 
and however worldly the frame of my spirit was. Having begun in 
the name of Jesus, I soon felt as it were the fetters loosening, and 
the old hardness of heart softening, and, as I thought, mountains of 
frost and snow dissolving and melting within me. This engendered 
confidence in my soul in the promise of the Holy Ghost. I felt my 
whole mind relieved from some great bondage: tears flowed copi- 
ously, and I was constrained to cry out for the gracious visits of 
God, by restoring to my soul the joy of his salvation ; — and that he 
would visit the churches in Anglesea, that were under my care. I 
embraced in my supplications all the churches of the saints, and 
nearly all the ministers in the principality by their names. This 
struggle lasted for three hours : it rose again and again, like one 
wave after another, or a high flowing tide, driven by a strong wind, 
until my nature became faint by weeping and crying. Thus I re- 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. 29 

signed myself to Christ, body and soul, gifts and labors — all my 
life — every day and every hour that remained for me ; — and all my 
cares I committed to Christ. — The road was mountainous and lonely, 
and I was wholly alone, and suffered no interruption in my wrest- 
lings with God. 

" From this time, I was made to expect the goodness of God to 
churches and to myself. Thus the Lord delivered me and the 
people of Anglesea from being carried away by the flood of Sande- 
manianism. In the first religious meetings after this, I felt as if I 
had been removed from the cold and sterile regions of spiritual 
frost, into the verdant fields of the divine promises. The former 
striving with God in prayer, and the longing anxiety for the con- 
version of sinners, which I had experienced at Leyn, was now re- 
stored. I had a hold of the promises of God. The result was, 
when I returned home, -the first thing that arrested my attention 
was, that the Spirit was working also in the brethren in Anglesea, 
inducing in them a spirit of prayer, especially in two of the deacons, 
who were particularly importunate that God would visit us in mercy, 
and render the word of his grace effectual amongst us for the' con- 
version of sinners." . . 



COVENANT WITH GOD. 

Mr. Evans now entered into a solemn covenant with God, made, 
as he says, " under a deep sense of the evil of his heart, and in de- 
pendence upon the infinite grace and merit of the Redeemer." 
This interesting article is preserved among his papers. We give 
it entire, as a specimen of his spirit and his faith ^: — 

I. " I give my soul and body unto thee, Jesus, the true God, and 
everlasting life — deliver me from sin, and from eternal death, and 
bring me into life everlasting. Amen. — C. E. 

II. ^' I call the day, the sun, the earth, the trees, the stones, the 
bed, the table, and the books, to witness that I come unto thee. 
Redeemer of sinners, that- 1 may obtain rest for my soul from the 
thunders of guilt and the dread of eternity. Amen. — C. E. 

III. -^I do, through confidence in thy power, earnestly entreat 
thee to take the work into thinfi own hand, and give me a circum- 
cised 1/ eart, that I may love thee, and create in me a right spirit, 
that I may seek thy glory. Grant me that principle which thou 

c2 



30 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

wilt own in the day of judgment, that I may not then assume pale 
facedness, and find myself a hypocrite. Grant me this, for the sake 
of thy most precious blood. Amen. — C. E. 

IV. " I entreat thee, Jesus, the Son of God, in power, grant me, 
for the sake of thy agonizing death, a covenant-interest in thy blood, 
"vvhich cleanseth ; in thy righteousness, which justifieth ; and in thy 
redemption, which delivereth. ■ I entreat an interest in thy blood, 
for thy hlood^s sake, and a part in thee, for thy name's sake, which 
thou hast given among men. Amen. — C. E. 

V. ■ " Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, take, for the sake of 
thy cruel death, my time, and strength, and the gifts and talents I 
possess; which, with a full purpose of h^art, I consecrate to thy 
glory in the building up of thy church in the world, for thou art 
worthy of the hearts and talents of all men. Amen. — C. E. 

VI. " I desire thee, my great High Priest, to confirm, by thy 
power, from thy High Court, rhy usefulness as a preacher, and my 
piety as a Christian, as two gardens nigh to each other ; that, sin 
may not have place in my heart, to becloud my confidence in thy 
righteousness, and that I may not be left to any foolish act that may 
occasion my gifts to wither, and rendered useless before my life 
ends. Keep thy gracious eye upon me, and watch over me, my 
Lord, and my God for ever ! Amen. — C. E. 

VII. " I give myself in a particular manner to thee, Jesus 
Christ, the Saviour, to be preserved from the falls into which many 
stumble, that thy name (in thy cause) may not be blasphemed or 
wounded, that my peace may not.be injured, that thy people may 
not be grieved, and that thine enemies may not be hardened. 
Amen. — C. E. . 

VIII. " I come unto thee, beseeching thee to be in covenant with 
me in my ministry. As thoudidst prosper Bunyan, Vavasor Powell, 
Howell Harris, Rowlands, and W^hitefield, do thou prosper me. 
Whatsoever things are opposed to my prosperity, remove them out 
of the way. Work in me every thing approved of God, for the at- 
tainment of this. Give me a heart ' sick of love' to thyself, and 
to the souls of men. Grant that I may experience the power of thy 
word before I deliver it, as Moses felt the power of his own rod, 
before he saw it on the laiid' and waters of Egypt. Grant this, for 
the sake of thine infinitely precious blood, Jesus, my hope, and/ 
my all in all ! Amen. — C. E. 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. 31 

IX. ^* Search me now, and lead me in plain paths of judgment. 
Let me discover in this life what I am before thee, that I may not 
find myself of another character, when I am shown in the light of 
the immortal world, and open my eyes in all the brightness of 
eternity. Wash me in thy redeeming blood. Amen. — C. E. 

X. " Grant me strength to depend upon thee for food and rai- 
ment, and to make known my requests. O let thy care be over me 
as a covenant-privilege betwixt thee and myself, and not like a ge- 
neral care to feed the ravens that perish, and clothe the lily that is 
cast into the oven ; but let thy care be over me as one of thy family, 
as one of thine unworthy brethren. Amen. — C. E. 

XL " Grant,^ Jesus ! and take upon thyself the preparing of 
me for death, for thou art God ; there is no need, but for thee to 
speak the word. If possible, thy will be done ; leave me not long 
in affliction, nor to die suddenly, without bidding adieu to my 
brethren, and let me die in their sight, after a short illness. Let all 
things be ordered against* the day of removing from one world to 
another, that there be no confusion nor disorder, but a quiet dis- 
charge in peace. grant me this, for the sake of thine agony in 
the garden !^ Amen. — C. E. 

: XII. ^' Grant, O blessed Lord ! that nothing may grow and be 
matured in me, to occasion thee to cast me off from the service of 
the sanctuary, like the sons of. Eli; and for the sake of thine un- 
bounded merit, let not my days be longer than my usefulness. O 
let me not be like lumber in a house in the end of my days, — in the 
way of others to work. Amen. — C. E. 

XIII. " I beseech thee, Redeemer ! to present these my sup- 
plications before the Father : and ! inscribe them in thy book 
with thine own immortal pen, while I am writing them with my 
mortal hand, in my book on earth. According to the depths of thy 
merit, thine undiminished grace, and thy compassion, and thy man- 
ner unto thy people, ! attach thy name, in thine upper court, to 
these unworthy petitions ; and set thine amen to them, as I do on 
my part of the covenant. Amen. — Christmas Evans, Llangevni, 
Anglesea, April 10, 18 — ." 

Mr. Evans, in speaking of this solemn transaction and its influ- 
ence upon his spirit, subsequently observes : "I felt a sweet peace 
and tranquillity of soul, like unto a poor man that had been brought 
under the protection of the royal family, and had an annual settle- 



32 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

ment for life made upon him ; from whose dwelling the painful 
dread of poverty and want had been for ever banished away." 

Thus "strengthened with might in the inner man," he labored 
-with renewed energy and zeal, and showers of blessings descended 
upon his labors. In two years, his ten preaching places in Anglesea 
were increased to twenty, and six hundred converts were added to 
the church under his care. " The wilderness and solitary place 
were glad for them-, and the desert rejoiced and blossomed as the 



STUDYING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. 

Mr. Evans made several visits to Liverpool, Bristol, and other 
parts of England. On these occasions he was frequently solicited 
to preach in English, to which he several times consented, to the 
great gratification of his English friends. These sermons evinced 
the same energy of thought, and the same boldness of imagery, as 
those which he preached in Welsh ; but in the power of his peculiar 
delivery, they were inevitably far inferior. His brethren in England 
were much delighted with his performances, and said it was '' no 
wonder the Welsh were warm under such preaching ;" but his 
language was broken and hesitating, and they could scarcely have 
any conception of his animation and energy when he spoke in his 
vernacular tongue. ( 

His success induced him to comm-ence a systematic study of the 
English language, that he might be able to preach in it with greater 
freedom and effect. He could read English before, and was some- 
what familiar with the best English authors of his day ; but never 
acquainted himself with the grammar of the language till he was 
thirty-three years of age. But read his own account of the 
matter : — 

" The English brethren had prevailed upon me to preach to them 
in broken English, as it was; this induced me to set about the 
matter in earnest, making it a subject of prayer, for the aid of the 
Spirit, that I might be in some measure a blessing to" the English 
friends, for there appeared some sign that God now called me to 
this department of labor in his service. I never succeeded in any 
Ihing for the good of others, without making it a matter of prayer. 
My English preachi-ng was very broken and imperfect in point of 
language ; yet, through the grace of Jesus Christ, it was made in 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. , 33 

SQUie degree tiseful at Liverpool, Bristol, and some other places. I 
was about forty years old when I learned to read the Hebrew Bible 
and the Greek Testament, and use Parkhurst's Lexicons in both 
language^. I found that, had I studied the English language 
attentively and perseveringly, I should be able to overcome great 
difficulties; and also, tbac I could without much labor in the 
course of few years, even in my idle hours, as it were, understand 
all the Hebrew words corresponding with every Welsh word in the 
Bible ; and so also the Greek. I had always before thought that it 
was impossible to accomplish this, for I had no one to encourage 
me in the undertaking ; but I found it was practicable, and proved 
it in some measure, yet relinquished the pursuit on account of my 
advanced age." ^ " 

NEW TROUBLES AND. SORROWS. 

Here we pass over several years of Mr. Evans' history, during 
which nothing of very special interest occurred, except the agita- 
tion of the FuUerian controversy. This is a matter which requires 
only a passing notice in this brief memoir. We let it sleep in 
silence. 

Mr. Evans was now nearly sixty years of age. Infirmity, the 
result of his arduous labors and numerous afflictions, began to prey 
upon his system. The several congregations under his care had 
hitherto constituted but one church; But the number of preaching 
places had now become too great for him, in his enfeebled state, to 
continue his pastoral visits and labors among them as he had done. 
He therefore advised them to form themselves into separate churches, 
two or three stations uniting in one. This was the occasion of a 
dark and dreadful storm upon the apostle of Anglesea. Some of 
the churches refused the ministers he recommended, and called 
others whom he dis^proved. Then arose a bitter party spirit, and 
{^general contention, among the congregations. Mr. Evans was 
severely censured, and even assailed with the shafts of slander. 
Many of his former friends forsook him, and some of those who 
professed to feel foe him in his troubles did nothing for his vindica- 
tion. The severity of these public calamities was increased by 
private afflictions. His beloved wife had gone " the way of all the 
earth." He was himself brought very low by sickness, in which 
5 



1 



34 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

he nearly lost his. only remaining eye^ and seemed- fast tefiding io 
his final home. 

But though cast down, he was not destroyed. "I wopder 
greatly," says he, " that I did not sink into the grave under the 
weight of sorrows that came. upon me in my old age, together with 
an accumulation of trials of all kinds ; but the Lord sustained me. 
There was, in the midst of all, a strong persuasion in my mind, that 
there was yet much work for me to do for God in the world, as 
well as much to suffer, ere I died. If I only entered the pulpit, I 
felt raised as it were to Paradises-above my •afflictions — 'tintil I 
forgot my adversity ; yea, I felt my mountain strong, my mind was 
in such a heavenly frame, and as anxious as ever for the conversion 
of sinners. The truth ^pearedlo me in its power like a hammer 
in its strength. The doctrine dropped as sweet as the honey, yea, 
sweeter than the honeycomb, and as comfortable as the best wine. 
I was now particularly wishful that all the ministers in Anglesea 
should join w^ith me, according to the promise, ' If two of you agree 
to ask the same thing, it shall be given unto you .of my Father 
which is in heaven ;' for L had such, confidence that then I should 
see prosperity attending the ministry, and that 1 should not die 
until I had finished my work. I said to a brother : — 'Brother, the 
doctrine, the confidence, and strength which I feel, will make some 
persons dance with joy yet in some parts of Wales.' ' Yea, 
brother,' said he, with tears flowing in streams from his eyes. 

" Every thing now contributed to remove me from Anglesea. 
The unbending disposition of those whp were oflfended at -me, and 
the ardor of my own spirit, believing that there was work for me 
to do in some other field of the harvest of the Son of man, and my 
having prayed earnestly for twelve months for the direction of 
Divine Providence, together with the visions of my head in the 
night seasons, appeared to unite together to lead in one direction. 
At length, the determination to leave Anglesea, afflicted as I was, 
preponderated. I was much like Jacob, leaving his father and h]s 
mother, going with his staff only over .Jordan : so was I, leaving 
the church i I had prayed, yea, I had, striven with Go.d for. its pros- 
perity, and had labored nearly forty years with it — now leaving it — 
possessing nothing of this world's goods, save the horse upon which 
I rode, and a small amount of silver in my pocket; and scarcely 
could I say that these were mine." 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. 35 



LEGAL PROSECUTION. 



■ During the above-mentioned tribulations he received an .insulting 
letter, threatening him with a civil prosecution. ^' They talk," 
said he, " of casting me into a court of law, where I have never 
been, and ,hope I shall never go ; but^I will cast them first into the 
court of Jesus Christ, the source of law and authority." So say- 
ing, he retired to his chamber, and falling upon his knees, he 
wept and made supplication in the following pathetic strain : — • 

" blessed Lord ! in thy merit I confide, and trust to be heard. 
Lord, some of my brethren have run wild ; and forgetting their 
duty and, obligations to their father in the gospel,, they threaten me 
with tlie law of the land. Weaken, I beseech thee, their designs in 
this, as thou didst wither the arm of Jeroboam; and soften them, 
as thou didst soften the misd of Esau, and disarmed him of his 
warlike temper against thy servant Jacob, after the wrestling at 
Penuel. So disarm them, for I do not know the length of Satan's 
chain in this case, and in this linbrotherly attack. But thou canst 
shorten the. chain as short as it may please thee. Lord, I anticipate 
them in point of law. They think of casting thine unworthy 
servant into the little courts here below ; but I cast my cause into 
the. High Court, in which thou, gracious Jesus, art the High Chan- 
cellor. Receive thou the cause of thine unworthy servant, and send 
them a writ or a notice immediately — sending into their conscience, 
and summoning them to consider w^hat they are doing. O, frighten 
them with a summons from thy court, until they come and bow in 
contrition at thy feet ; and take from their hands every revengeful 
weapon, and make them deliver up every gun of scandal, and 
every sword of bitter words, and every spear of slanderous expres- 
sions, and surrender them all at thy cross. Forgive them all their 
faults, and clothe themi wijh white robes, and give them oil for 
their heads, and the organ, and the harp of ten strings, to sing, for 
the trampling of Satan under our feet by the God of peace." 

Having thus poured out his heart to God, he felt some confidence 
of security. But he was never satisfied in such cases without an 
inward assurance of acceptance and success. So he went again 
and again; and when,. like Jesus, he had " ofiered up many 
prayers, with strong crying and tears," hke Jacob " he had power 



3& MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

with God, and prevailed." "At the seventh time," says he, "1 
came down in full confidence that Christ had taken my cause into 
his own hand, and would be my Savior. I felt as cheerful and 
happy as Bunyan's Pilgrim, when his load fell off and rolled into 
the grave of Christ ; or as Naaman, when he came tip from the 
waters of Jordan, cured of his leprosy." 

It is scarcely necessary to add, the , tiireat was never executed. 
The Throne of Grace is the good man's sure resort in 'every emer- 
gency. Jehovah ''hides him in his pavilion from the strife of 
tongues." • * "^^ " 

' ' CAERPHILLY. ' 

An invitation, which he received about tbis time, to take charge 
of the Baptist church in Caerphilly, Glamorganshire, South Wales, 
confirmed Mr. Evaiis in hi^-- determination to leave the -scene of his 
recent trials. He set out alone, in his sixtieth year. The distance 
he had to travel was about two hundred miles. On the way, while 
dwelling on his past misfortunes, he found his heart melted within 
him, and drawn out in fervent prayer. His faith soon triumphed 
over his afflictions and his fears. He renewed his covenant with 
God, and went on his way rejoicing. This revival of his religious 
feelings had a pow^erful effect upon his ministry. He had not been 
long in Caerphilly, before the Spirit of God ^vas poured copiously 
upon the people. 

Previous to this time of refreshing, he had a remarkable dream, 
which he noted in his diary. He thought he was in the church at 
Caerphilly, and found many harps hanging about the pulpit, 
wrapped' in coverings of green. Then, saidTie, "I will take down 
the harp^ of heaven in this place." In removing the covering, he 
found the ark of the covenant, inscribed with the name of Jehovah. 
Then he cried, "Brethren, the Lord has come to us, according. to 
his promise, and in answer to our prayers." In that very place, he 
shortly afterward had the satisfaction of receiving one hundred and 
forty converts into the church, as the fruit of his ministry. 

While at Caerphilly, he entered into a second marriage. He 
remained there only two years. He says : " I never spent a short 
time in greater comfort, for the ark of God had appeared there, and 
the harps of one hundred and forty souls had been tuned to the song 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. 37 

of redemption." Happy years no doubt they were, and gladly 
would Mr. Evans have ended his life in Caerphilly; but troubles 
arose between him and some of his parishioners, and, receiving a 
call from Cardiff, a neighboring town, he went to take charge of a 
church in that place. 

• . ANOTHER COVENANT. 

Previous to his removal, and while he was meditating the matter, 
he made a new covenant with God. We extract again from his 
journal.: — 

" "While returning from a place called Tongwynlas over Caer- 
philly mountain, the spirit of prayer descended very copiously upon 
me. I wept for some hours, and heartily supplicated Jesus Christ, 
for the blessings here following. I found at this time a particular 
nearness to Christ, as if he were close by me, and my mind was 
filled ^^^th strong confidence that he attended to my requests, for 
the sake of the merits of his own name. This decided in favor 
of Cardiff." 

. I. " Grant me the great favor of being led by thee, according to 
thy ^vill — by the directions of thy providence and word, and the 
disposing of my own mind by thy Spirit, for the sake of thine in- 
finitely precious blood. Amen. — C. E. 

II. " Grant, if I am to leave Caerphilly, that the gale (of the 
Spirit's influence) and religious revived I had there may follow me 
to Cardiff, for the sake of thy great name. Amen. — C. E. 

III. " Grant thy blessing upon bitter things, to brighten, and 
quicken me more and more, and not to depress and render me more 
lifeless. Amen.^C. E. 

rV'. " Suffer me not to be trodden under the proud feet of mem- 
bers, or deacons, for the sake of thy goodness. Amen. — C. E. 

V. " Grant me the invaluable favor of being, in thine hand, the 
means of calling sinners unto thyself, and of edifying thy saints, wher- 
ever thou wilt send me, for the sake of thy name. Amen. — C. E. 

\1. " If I am to stay at Caerphilly, give me some tokens, as to 
Gideon of old, by removing the things that discourage me, and are 
in the way of the prosperity of religion in that church. Amen. — C. E. 

VII. " Grant, Lord of glory, and Head of thy church, that the 
Ark of the cause \^hich is thine, in Anglesea and Caerphilly, may 

D 



38 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

be sustained from falling into the hands of the Philistines. Do not" 
reject it. Aid it speedily, and lift up the light of thy countenance 
upon it ; and by thy Spirit, word, and providence, so operate as to 
carry things forward in the churches, and neighborhoods, in such a 
manner as will produce changes in officers, and measures that will 
accomplish a thorough improvement in the great cause, for the 
establishment of which in the world thou hast died ; — and by scat- 
tering those that delight in war, and closing the mouths of those 
that occasion confusion. Amen. — C. E. 

VIII. " Grant me way-tokens by the time I begin my journey to 
Liverpool, and from thence to Anglesea, if it is thy will that I should 
go thither this year. Amen. — C. E. 

IX.." grant me succor beneath the shadow of the sympathy 
that is in thee towards them who are tempted, and |;he unbounded 
power there is in thee to be the. relief of such. Amen. — C. E. 

X. "Accept of my thanksgiving a hundred millions, of times, 
that thou hast not hitherto cast me from thine hand, as a darkened 
star, or a vessel in which there is no pleasure ; and suffer not my 
life to'be extended beyond my usefulness. Thanks, that thou hast 
not given me a prey to the teeth of any. Blessed be thy name. 
Amen. — C. E. 

XI. "For the sake of thine infinite merit, do not cast me, thy 
servant, under the feet of pride and injustice, of worldly greatness, 
riches, and selfish oppression of any men, but hide me in the secret 
of thy tabernacle from the "strife of tongues. Amen. — C. E. 

XII. "Help me to wait silently and patiently upon thee, for the 
fulfilment of these things, and not become enraged, angry, and 
speak unadvisedly with my lips, like Moses, the servant of the 
Lord. Sustain my heart from sinking," to wait for fresh strength 
from Zion. Amen. — C. E. 

XIII. " Help me to wait upon thee for the necessaries of life ; let 
thy mercy and goodness follow me while I live ; and, as it hath 
pleased thee to honor me greatly, by .the blessing thou hast vouch- 
safed upon the ministry through me, as an humble instrument, at 
Caerphilly, after the great storm had beaten upon me in Anglesea, 
like Job, grant that this honor may continue to follow me the 
remainder of my days, as thou didst unto thy servant Job. 
Amen.— C. E. 

XIV. " Let this covenant abide like the covenant of salt, until I 



MEMOIR OF EVANS'. ^ ' 39 

come to thee in the world of eternal light. I entreat aid to resign 
myself to thee, and to thy will. I beseech thee take my heart, ana 
inscribe upon it a deep reverence of thyself, with an inscription that 
time *and eternity cannot efface, let the remainder of my ser- 
mons be taken by thee from my lips ; and those which I write, let 
them be unto thee for a praise. Unto thee I dedicate them. If 
there should be any thing in them conducive to thy glory, and to 
the service of thy kingdom, do thou preserve it, and reveal it unto 
men ; else, let it die like the drop of a bucket in the midst of the 
scorching heat of Africa. grant, that there maybe a drop of 
that water which thou alone canst impart, and which springs up to 
eternal life, running through all my sermons. In this covenant, 
which probably is the last that will be written between me and thee 
on the earth, I commit myself, my wife, and the churches amongst 
whom I have preached, to the protection of thy grace, and the care 
of thy covenant. Amen. — C. E. 

XV. *' Let this covenant continue when I am in sickness or in 
health, or in any other circumstance ; for thou hast overcome the 
world, fulfilled the law, finished ju-stifying righteousness, and hast 
swallowed up death in victory, and all pOwer in heaven and earth 
is in thine hand. For the sake of thy most precious blood and 
perfect righteousness, note this covenant with thine own blood in 
the court of the memorials of forgiving mercy: attach unto it thy 
name in which I believe ; and here I, this day, set my unworthy 
name unto it, with my mortal hand. Amen. — Christmas Evans. 
Dated, Cardiff, AprH 24, 1829." \ 



CARDIFF. 

" After having entered into this covenant,-' says Mr. Evans in. 
his diary, " I came to Cardiff, heartily and unhesitatingly, like a 
merchant that should send his vessel to sea after it had been re- 
gistered in the insurance office. I had nothing now to lose, for I 
had given myself up to the possession of Jesus, the Mediator of the 
New Testament, for time and for eternity; and so I have had to 
abide here in the secret of his tabernacle for these nine months." 

He removed to Cardiff in the autumn of 1828, and remained there 
two years and a half. Daring this time, he received into the church 
about eighty converts. He was much in secret prayer, and en- 



40 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

joyed intimate communion with his God. He not only retired for 
devotion several times every day, but ordinarily rose at midnight to 
call upon the Lord. But the whole period of his residence was not 
a cloudless day. Some unpleasant matters arose in the church, 
which caused him much sorrow, as is evident from the following 
entry in his diary : — 

"April 27, 1829. I earnestly entreat thee, blessed Jesus, for the 
sake of thine own name, to regard me in this' request. * * * * Let 
things be ordered, Lord, that they may not be impediments and 
discouragements unto me, and a hinderance to ^he progress of re- 
ligion. O, interpose between me and these obstacles, O- Lord, that 
I may have no occasion to dispute with any, and so embitter my 
spirit ! Thy power is infinite, and thy wisdom is infallible. Stand 
thou between me and all contention, that no ill effect come upon 
me. I flee to hide myself under the shadow of thy wings. Permit 
nothing to blunt the edge of my talents, my zeal^ or my success, — nor 
corrupt the church. Grant me this for the sake of thine infinitely 
precious blood. Set thy name to this request in the court of hea- 
ven, and let Satan's party grow weaker and weaker, and the cause 
of truth and righteousness become like the house of David, and the 
house of David like the angel of the Lord. Deliver me, that my 
spirit be not irritated, and I speak unadvisedly with my lips, as 
Moses did. Hide me in thy pavilion from the strife of tongues 
* * * *. I am as it were on the verge of eternity ; O save and pre- 
serve me by thy boundless power. Amen, Amen, Amen. Lord, 
regard, behold, hear, and spare. — Christmas Evans. Write this in 
thy bpok, O my Lord, and my God. Let none be disappointed 
that wait upon thee, gracious Lord. — Remember me." 

He adds in anothei; passage : — 

" I have given my soul anew to Christ ; my body ; my talents ; 
my influence in preaching ; my name ; my character as a man, as a 
Christian, and as a preacher of the gospel ; my time, and the rem.- 
nant of my opportunities ; my success ; my peace and comfort as a 
Christian and a minister. I have resigned all afresh into the hands 
of Christ. I have commended to his care, also, my wife, and all 
the circumstances of my family, and my friends and assistants in the 
work of the Lord, for whom I pray earnestly that they may be 
blessed, throughout Anglesea, Caernarvon, Caerphilly, Cardiflf, and 
indeed in all the counties of Wales. There are many of them who 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. 41 

were helpers., to me in my day. I will say^ in the language of Paul, 
and I hope with affectionate emotions of love to Jesus Christ, ' The 
Lord grant unto them that they may find mercy of the Lord in that 
day.' It is a great privilege to a minister to ~re tain beloved friends, 
who have helped him with their prayers and sympathy. bless 
.those whom I have, and preserve the new race, the new generation 
of them that I have found in these parts. I committed to God, 
also, those who obstruct the progress of the cause here, and disturb 
the unity and brotherly love of the .church. Let Christ, whose the 
church is, and let not^me, remove every obstacle, either by chang- 
ing and melting in the love of the gospel, or taking them somewhere 
else, where they shall not be a curse and an impediment to the 
cause — and by the means that shall seem fit in his sight. A word 
or a nod of thine shuts and opens heaven and earth, and all the 
locks of the land of Hades, or the invisible state. For the sake of 
the blood of thy covenant, grant the above things unto me, tliine 
unworthy servant.'' 

SERMONS FOR THE PRESS. 

During his sojourn at Cardiff, though now^sixty-five years old, 
much debilitated, and almost blind, he wrote about two hundred 
sermons for the press, many of which have since been published. 
It is certainly very remarkable, that he should write, at his advanced 
age, with all the vigor and vivacity of his earlier years. Perhaps, 
of all the sermons he ever made, those composed at Cardiff are the 
best. Most of them were preached on the Sabbath, and written out 
during the following week. This circumstance, with their author's 
peculiar nearness to God^ may account for their freshness and power. 

Mr. Evans was in the habit of referring every important m.atter 
to God. We find in his diary the following paragraph : — 

" Cardiff, February 2, 1829. Lord, I have been importuned by 
many of my brethren in the ministry, to prepare a number of my 
sermons, that have been in the course of my ministry the most use- 
ful in thine hand for the conversion of sinners, with a view to 
publication. I had no time when in Anglesea to engage in the 
work, because my circumstances required so much travelling every 
week. I left the work to lie by, the two years I was at Caerphilly ; 
but here, at Cardiff, I have had a new impulse in my thoughts to 
6 d2 



42 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

enter upon it ; and I come unto thee, my great Lord, to consult 
thee, who art the Head of the church, and the Head-Prophet and 
Teacher of thy people. Shall I proceed with the work or not ? Is 
it a part of my duty, or is it a useless, foolish notion of my own ? 
I entreat thy gracious direction in this matter, for the sak-e of thy 
great name. Suffer me not to afflict myself, when my eyesight is 
so weak, with a work that thou wilt not -bless, but which shall be 
buried in the land of forgetfulness. If thOu wilt not open a door — 
with thee are the keys of the house of David — in thy providence, 
that I may obtain subscribers, and bring the work through the press, 
without hazarding myself in such a way as will involve me in debt 
and disgrace : and also if thou, the great feeder of the flock, wilt 
not direct me to give the true gospel, not only without error, but 
with the savor and unction which accompanies the w^orks of Bunyan 
and others, which thy Spirit is likely to make use of whilst thou 
hast churches in Wales: if they should not be for thy glory in tlie 
building up of thy church, and the calling of sinners, — if these 
objects should not be accomplished by the publication of the ser- 
mons, dispose my mind to relinquish the undertaking. But if thou 
wilt patronise the work, strengthen me to accomplish the design. 
Lord, thou knowest I feel my own insufficiency for such an import- 
ant enterprise, and my unworthiness to solicit of thee such a favor ; 
but I cannot refrain from making these requests : tlierefore, for the 
sake of thine infinite merits, according to thy manner unto thy 
people, grant unto me my request. Amen." 

WELSH JUMPING. 

In the autumn of 1829, Mr. Evans wrote in his diary extensive 
notes of a conversation which he had with several ministers in 
Bristol, on " the manner of religious rejoicing so remarkable among 
the Welsh." His friends condemned it in. a sweeping sentence, 
under the name of " Welsh jumping." Mr. Evans attempted its 
vindication. We insert his own account : 

"I observed that I could find no account of it among the Welsh 
until the time of Harris and Rowlands, Calvinistic Methodists, who 
flourished in Wales about the same time as Whitefield and Wesley 
in England. The preaching of these men was the means of pro- 
ducing a religious revival throughout all the principality, which had 



• MEMOIR OF EVANS. 43 

sunk into a state of deiep lethargy, since the time of the great 
awakening under Vavasor Powell, about" one hundred years before. 
At this period nothing was to be seen in almost every parish but 
young men and young women flocking together into the churches 
and church-yards, and engaging in different gambols and pastimes, 
such as ball-playing, foot-ball, leaping, fighting, and such like 
frolics, as if Wales had been changed into an Olympic mountain, 
and old paganism restored again. It is true, there were some 
preachers and churches, both Congregationalists and Baptists, then 
existing in the principality ; but their talents, their spirits, or their 
magnanimity could not storm such a fortress of impiety. And, 
besides, there was a dreadful prejudice still remaining in the 
country against all sects, since the days of Charles II! ; and 
they suffered -persecution even unto blood, for about one hundred 
years previous to the appearing of these men. But from the ashes 
of those sufferers the revival by Harris and Rowlands sprung up, as 
did Luther from the ashes of Huss and Jerome of Prague. 

" Mr. Rowlands and Mr. Harris were both of the communion of 
the Episcopal church, and, as such, there was not so much enmity 
against them at first ; but after they had come out, and when the 
people understood that they were preachers of the cross of Christ, 
considerable persecution arose against them from the multitude; 
but it was now too late — for the gates of the city were opened— the 
leaven was put in the meal — the fire had been kindled — the sword 
was drawn from the scabbard, and many had been wounded, 
(spiritually,) and were ready to open the door for the gospel in spite 
of every danger. Harris, Rowlands, and the two Williams's, had 
been clothed- with power from on high, and the hammer of their 
ministry was sufficiently heavy to break in pieces the northern iron.* 
Several laymen of powerful minds were also raised up about this 
time ; such as Mr. David Morris, and others, who were valuable 
auxiliaries to carry on the work. By their ministry, this praising 
and jumping in religious enjoyment began in Wales, which has not 
wholly left it on certain occasions until this day. 

"As an apology for them, granting at the same time the possi- 
bility of extremes even in a good cause in the present state; and 
that graceless persons may feel something from these excitements 

* Jer. XV. 12. 



44 MEMOIR -OF EVANS. 

as of the powers of the world to come, in the miraculous gifts of 
the Holy Ghost in the apostolic age ; observe, - 

" 1. That it appears to me like the residue of the Spirit, and the 
powers of the world to come ; which were necessary to open a way 
for the gospel through the darkness and obduracy of paganism in 
the days of the apostles. 

"2. It is no argument of importance against it, that many grace- 
less persons felt a considerable degree of influence at the time, as 
well as others ; for so it was in the case of Saul, king of Israel, 
and some besides named in Scripture. ^ - . • 

" 3. There is no essential difference between religious enjoyment 
in Wales and that which is now experienced in America; and 
that which accompanied the preaching of Whitefield in England, 
and even in Scotland : and that which also followed the ministry of 
President Edwards, in America, when whole towns and neighbor- 
hoods echoed with the sound of persons praying and praising God, 
as if a bursting cloud-shower of the Spirit of grace and prayer had 
descended upon them. Persons under the ministry of Whitefield 
wept, cried for mercy, and even fainted by the power of this 
influence. 

**4. And such gracious influences are necessary for the spread of 
the gospel in every country, and in every land : and therefore the 
Millennium is described in the Bible as a period remarkable for the 
outpouring of the Holy Ghost — * that a nation shall be born at 
once,'*^ — and ' the flowing of the nations shall be to the mountain 
of the Lord's house. 'f It is this influence that has driven, as it 
were, the gospel into every nook of the mountains of Wales, as 
well as into its cities, towns, and villages ; while in England, with 
all the advantages of education, the gospel, in a manner, is hid in 
a corner ; and it has not run through the country, and searched out, 
and taken possession of all the inland parts of that spiritual Africa, 
and that for the want of these gales of divine influence, and powers 
peculi&r to the gospel : and it can never be spread through every 
part of England as it is in Wales without these gifts. Common 
preaching will not do to rouse sluggish districts from the .heavy 
slumbers into which they are sunk. Indeed, formal prayers and 
hfeless sermons are like bulwarks raised against these things in 

* Isaiah Ixvi. 8. . • f Isaiah ii. 3. 



, IMHSMOIR OF EVANS. 45 

England ; and this evil genius has also entered the principality 
under the pretence of order. Five or six stanzas will be sung as 
dry as Gilboa, instead of one or two verses, like a new song, full 
,^God, of Christ, and the Spirit of grace, until the heart is attuned 
for worship. The burying-grounds are kept in fine order in Glamor- 
ganshire, and green shrubs and herbs grow on the graves, but all 
this is of little value, for the inhabitants of them are all dead — so 
is every form of godliness where its power is not felt. Order 
without life is exceedingly worthless. You exhibit all the character 
of human nature, leaving every bud of the flower to open in the 
beams of the sun, except in divine worship. On other occasions you 
appear to have as much fire in your afifections as the Welsh have. 
If you are noticed in a court of law, the most eflficient advocate, 
such as Erskine, w411 give you the greatest satisfaction; but you are 
contented with a preacher, speaking so lifelessly and so low that 
you can hardly understand the third part, of what he says ; and you 
will call this decency in the sanctuary. To-morrow, I shall see you 
answering fully to the human character, in your own actions. 
When the speakers on the platform will be urging the claims of 
missions, you will then beat the boards, and manifest so much life 
and cheerfulness, that not one of you will be seen to take up a 
note-book, nor any other book, while tke speaker shall be address- 
ing you. A Welshman might suppose, by hearing your noise, that 
he had been silently conveyed to the midst of one of the meetings 
of the ' Welsh jumpers,' with- this difference, that you would per- 
ceive many more tears shed, and hear- more ' calves of the lips'* 
offered up, in the rejoicing meetings of Wales. But you will use 
your heels well on such occasions, and a little of your tongues. 
But even in Wales, in certain places — that is, places where the 
fervent gales are not enjoyed w^hich fill persons with fear and terror 
and joy in approaching the altar of God — you may see, while 
hearing a sermon, one looking into his hymn-book, another into his 
note-book, and a third turning over the leaves of his Bible, as if he 
■were going to study a sermon in the sanctuary, instead of attending 
to what is spoken by the preacher as the mouth of God. If there 
is joy and gladness pertaining to many, the light of God's counte- 
nance in the sanctuaiy should develope it ; until a fire is kindled, 

• Hos. xiv. 2. 



46 MEMOIR OF EVA'NS. 

and he speak with his tongue, making melody unto the Lord in his 
heart, and praising Him with his lips. * 

*' 5. It is in vain to urge objecrtions against these powerful gales 
of divine influence, and allege that it is under the ministry of the 
illiterate preachers of Wales only they are experienced. Harris, 
Rowlands, and the two Williamses were not so, for they had been 
brought up for the established church. Whitefield and Edwards 
were men of education, and they preached the doctrine which in 
England is considered evangelical. 

" 6. It is also beside the point to affirm that only persons of no 
weight, that is, ignorant boys and girls, are in the habit of thus 
rejoicing and praising God in His temple ; for it is certain, that 
those who express their joy-^in this manner possess so much pound 
experimental knowledge, as to make them eminent in that respect. 
I have listened to many of them in the midst of their enjoyment, 
and have often been delighted while they repeated true, evangelical, 
and substantial stanzas, replete with profound sentiment: for in 
such seasons, they could find out the very best, which made impres- 
sions on their memories ; and these rapturous feelings developed 
them, as if the tongue were moved by the heat and force of the fire 
within. And many other things of an evangelical and gracious 
character they will utter on these joyful occasions, with such 
heavenly eloquence as would be inimitable, and impracticable 
even for themselves to utter with the same effect, without enjoy- 
ing these meltings of spirit. This enjoyment is accompanied by 
many tears and much tenderness of. heart: nor are persons of a 
dry spirit and hard heart ever regarded as fit subjects for this work 
of praise, in these blessed seasons of Christian enjoyment. It 
does not accord with any, but with him whose heart melts like wax, 
and runs in the form and mould of the gospel. 

" 7. There is no way in which churches or particular persons 
may enjoy this heavenly ecstasy, but by walking with God, and by 
cultivating a spirit of watchfulness and prayer, which shows its pure 
and holy character. It awakens watchfulness against all evil tem- 
pers, improper expressions^ and wicked actions, lest the sense of it 
should be lost. Such a frame of mind cannot be expected by 
living in sin. These individuals come to the house of God with 
an earnest desire for this enjoyment, and dreading lest there should 
be a something in them which would cause God to deny them 



MEMOIR OF. EVANS. 4f 

this unspeakable priyilege. It is an exceedingly easy matter for 
a minister to manage a congregation while Christian enjoyment 
keeps them near to God. They are diligent and zealous, and ready 
for ^ every good work. But it is very easy to offend this joyous 
spirit — or give it what name you please, enthusiasm, religious mad- 
ness, or Welsh jumping, (its English name,) — and make it hide 
itself. A quarrel and disagreement in the church will occasion it 
to withdraw immediately. Indulging in sin, in word or deed, will 
soon put it to flight. It is like unto the angel formerly, who could 
not behold the sin of Israel without hiding himself; so is the angel 
of the religious life of Wales, which proves him to be a holy angel, 
though he has the name of a ' Welsh jumper.' My prayer is, that 
this angel be a guai'd upon every congregation, and that none 
should do any thing to offend him. It is an exceedingly powerful 
assistant to accompany us through the wilderness. But the indi- 
vidual that has not felt its happy influences, has nothing to lose ; 
hence he does riot dread a dry meeting and a hard prayer, for they 
are all the same to him ; but the people of this enjoyment pray 
before prayer, and before hearing, that they may meet with God 
in them. 

" 8. The seasons when these blessings are vouchsafed to the 
churches of Wales, are to be noticed. It is generally at a time 
when the cause of religion is at a low ebb — all gone to slumber. 
Thishappy spirit of enjoyment, like the angel of the pillar of fire, 
appears when there is distress, and every thing at the worst. Its 
approach to the congregation is like the glory of God returning to 
the temple of old ; it creates a stir among the brethren, — they have 
a new prayer, and a new spipit given them to worship God. This 
will lay hold of another, — some new strength and light will appear 
in the pulpit, until it will be imagined that the preacher's voice is 
altered, and that his spirit is become more evangehcal, and that he 
preaches with a more excellent savor than usual. Tenderness will 
descend upon the members, and it will be seen that Mr. Wet-eyes 
and Mr. Amen have taken their place among them. The heavenly 
gale will reach some of the old backsliders, and they are brought 
with weeping to seek their forfeited privilege. By this time the 
sound of Almighty God Avill be heard in the outer court, beginning 
to move the hearers like a mighty wind shaking the forest. In these 
seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord some churches 



48 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

\vilL receive > in the course of a year, additions of one -hundred, 
Qthers a hundred and fifty, and some others upwards (Sf Two -)iun!* 
dred new members. Sometimes, the gale seems as if it blew upon 
the outer court — upon the hearers, and the young people from ten 
to fifteen years of age — when nothing extraordinary appears in fhe 
light and effect of the ministry, nor in the church ; but afterwards 
making its way through the outer court to rouse the inner court, until 
a great concern is awakened for the state of the soul. But observe : 
The revival that begins in the church, and proceeds from thence to 
the world, and not that which commences outside of the church, is 
more frequent, and more efficient in its converts-, for the pangs of 
labor are to begin in Zion. 

" 9. Again, it may be remarked that the happy effects which 
follow these powerful revivals, evince their nature. They are cer- 
tain, where they are strong, to bend the oaks of Bashan— men of 
strong and sturdy minds, and haughty hearts — to attend the ministry 
of the word. They will bring all the ships of Tarshish, the mer- 
chai^ts of this world, into the harbor of hearing. The power of the 
day of the Lord will raze all the walls of bigotry to the foundations. 
The thoughts of eternal realities, and the spirit of worship, are by 
these blessings diffiised abroad, and family worship is established in 
scores of families, where a few months before no regard w^as had 
unto it. The. door of such a district, thus opened by the powers 
of the world to come, shall not be closed against the hearers of the 
gospel, until a goodly number of souls are there converted unto 
God. Where the living waters flow, dead fish are made alive by 
its virtues. 

" 10. iSince the first appearing of these gracious gifts at Llan- 
geitho, under the ministry of Mr. Rowlands, they have been 
showers of blessings, which are poured down on the congregations 
of the Baptists and Congregationalists as well as the Calvinistic 
Methodists ; and sometimes one of these denominations is favored 
with them, w^hilst the others are destitute. These refreshing seasons ^ 
W' ere, at times, experienced in a very powerful manner at Llan- 
geitho, for about fifty years ; that is, all the period of Mr. Row- 
lands' ministrations in that church. About two thousand persoiis 
assembled there for communion once a month, from the several 
counties of Wales, even in winter, and about three thousand in the 
summer season; which rendered it the most extraordinary place in 



^ MEMOIR OF EVANS. 49 

Eiirope: and.' beyond, a doubt, hundreds of those who assembled 
there, on such occasions, are now in heaven singing the new song. 
If to live on the merits of Christ, to fear God, and praise him, and 
lead a sober and righteous life, is an evidence of a godly state, 
then this was visible at that time at Llangeitho." • 



Oaernarvox. 

^Ir. Evans' next settlement was in Caernarvon. The Baptist 
interest in that town was in a feeble and languishing condition. 
The church numbered about thirty members, but they were chiefly of 
the lowest class, and sadly disunited. They had a decent house 
of worship, but it was involved in a debt of <£800. ^'All things," 
said Mr. Evans, '' seemed like a waste howling wilderness; yea,' 
a habitation of dragons, where they made their rest night and day." 
Some advised the dissolution of the church, but he thought' better 
to'attempt its reformation. His coming produced quite a sensation 
through the town. His first congregation was very large, and for 
some time multitudes flocked to his ministry, but they were only, 
accidental hearers, generally toembers of other churches, who, 
when they had satisfied their curiosity, returned to their own places 
of worship. His Welsh biographer mentions with commendation 
the sympathy and help which he received from the Wesleyan and 
the Calvinistic ^Methodists, and Mr. Evans himself calls them the 
Aarons and the Hurs that sustained his hands in Caernarvon. 

His labors and zeal in this place -were not less than in Caerphilly 
and Cardiff; but owing to many unfavorable circumstances, his suc- 
cess was far inferior. During the first year, however, he reduced 
tlie chaos around him to some incipient order ; and was enabled, 
by the payment of a* mortgage upon the church, to save it from 
sheriff's sale. He employed a Mr. Edwards to travel into England, 
Ireland, and Scotland, and make collecftions for this purpose. Mr. 
Evans was already known extensively, as the author of the cele- 
brated Specimen of Welsh Preaching, which had been translated 
into Enghsh, and published in many of the periodicals, eliciting 
universal admiration. ]\Ir. Edwards had this piece reprinted, and 
distributed the copies wherever- he went, thus making known the 
pastor of the church for which he solicited pecuniary aid. 

Though the aged servant of God saw few conversions from his 
7 E 



50^ MKMOm OF EVANS. 

labors in Caernarvon, the seed which he sowed in tears upon that 
sterile soil has sprung up since his decease, and others have 
gathered the harvest. The Baptist church there has experienced a 
gracious revival, and many of the new converts attribute their sal- 
vation, under God, to Christmas Evans. 

While in Caernarvon he penned in his journal the following 
pious reflections : " I have been thinking of the great goodness of 
the Lord unto me throughout my unworthy ministry, and now, in 
my old age, I see the work prospering wonderfully in my hand, so 
th^at there is reason to think that I am in some degree a blessing to 
the church, when I might have been a burden to it, or rather a 
curse, by which she might have been induced to wish me laid in 
the earth, that I might no longer prevent the progress of the w^ork. 
Thanks be to God, that it is not so ! though I deserve no better ; 
yet I am in the land of mercy. This is unto me according to the 
manner of God unto his people. My path in the valley, the dangers, 
and the precipices of destruction upon which I have stood, rushes 
into my thoughts, and also.thQ sinking of many in death, and the 
downfall of others by immorality, and their burial in Kibroth-Hat- 
taavah, the graves of inordinate desire ; together with the withering, 
the feebleness, and the unfruitfulness of some through the influence 
of a secret departure from God, and of walking in the hidden paths 
that lead to apostasy." • 



PULPIT POPULARITY. 

Mr. Evans' popularity in the pulpit was never greater than during 
the last few years of his life. His descriptive powers, which were 
transcendent from the first, improved to the day of his death. His 
services were always solicited at the anniversaries of the Missionary 
and Bible societies in Caernarvon, and the ma)^or of that town once 
made him a handsome present for a temperance speech which he 
delivered there. 

In 1834, he preached at the Holyhead association. His text 
was Heb. vi. 18. There were many seamen present; and beauti- 
fully did the preacher describe the believer's hope, " the anchor of 
the soul ;" and eloquently did he set forth the necessity of its having, 
not a bare rock, but a rock ^covered with clay— not abstract divi- 
nity, but " God manifest in the flesh," — in order that its hold may 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. 51 

be ^Vsure and steadfast," securing the Christian against spiritual 
ship"s\Teck amid the many storms of the world ! 

The last association he ever attended in Anglesea was held in 
the same place, in 1837. On that occasion he preached from Col. 
ii. 14, 15. This sermon was one of the most effective he ever de- 
livered. " The powerful manner," says one of his friends " in which 
he described the enemies, who were like unicorns and strong bulls 
of Bashan, and all the little elves-r-the gi'eat roaring lion, together 
with all the hosts and principalities and powers of hell, death, and 
the grave, giving way when Christ cried, ' It is finished,' was in- 
describably grand and majestic: one plight have thought that the 
scene was actually before the eye, and that Jesus could be then 
seen la}ing hold of the powers of darkness, casting them forth, and 
making a show of them openly." 

' INTERESTING LETTER. 

We insert in this place an interesting letter written during ]\Ir. 
Evans' residence at Caernarvon. 

«» Beloved Brother: * * * I write to you, August 5, 1836, 
in the seventieth year of my age, and in the fiftieth of my ministry, 
after conversing much with ministerial brethren, earnestly desiring 
to see our associational union brought into action by representatives 
of the churches, with a view to promote a determination, — 1. To 
bear each other's burden more efficiently in the denomination to 
which we belong. I lament the deficiency in this point, and 
ardently wish . to see it effectually remedied. 2. To watch over 
and promote a holy conversation among all the members and all 
the preachers- in a more efficient manner, to prevent persons of un- 
becoming conversation from obtaining privileges in any church, 
when they have been excluded in another, for that would occasion 
spots and blemishes to appear on- the bright countenance of the 
ministry. The associational union, in which all the churches of 
the same faith and order join, should be a defence of the independ- 
ence of the churches through their representatives : it should also 
operate as a sort of check upon independency, lest it should become 
opposed to the general good, and frustrate the co-operation of the 
whole body. That they may all he ojie, is the motto. 

'' Respecting church discipline. We cannot be certain that we 



52 'MeMoik of Evans. 

are doing right by administering the same punishment to all offend-' 
ers, even for the same offence; for the general character weighs 
heavily in the balance of discipline. Also a distinction should be 
made between the seducer and the seduced; and between being 
overcome, or falling into sin, and living habitually in sin, and fol- 
lowing it as a slave following his master. The denial of Peter, from 
weakness, and without previous deliberation, wa3 very different 
from the betrayal of Judas, and his intentional selling of Christ. 
The different characters of Saul, king of Israel, and that of David, 
required different treatment in discipline on account" of their of- 
fences. The Lord's discipline upon Saul was that of a rod of iron, 
but upon David the correcting ro.d of a father, for his" good, 'that he 
might be a partaker of his holiness.. *. - . 

'^ There are two things, brother, which we ougHt to avoid in the 
exercise of discipline. 1. We should avoid tojo great severity on. 
the one part, and 2, too much leniency on the o'ther part. Wisdom 
is necessary here to distinguish the different characters, those who 
require severity, and those w^ho claim tenderness : the two are to 
be found blended in the principle of evangelical discipline. A dif- 
ference is to be made betwixt some who. may have been companions 
in the same crime ; snatching some of them as brands from the burn- 
ing.- The ground of the distinction lies in the different amount of 
guilt which subsists between the seducer and the seduced.* ' , * 

'.'I have witnessed danger, and have sustained some tarin my- 
self, and seen harm done in churches, by exercising tenderness 
towards some persons, in the vain hope of their reformation. Re- 
ceiving verbal testimony or mere fluent acknowledgments from their 
lips, without waiting for fruit in action also : some having been 
often accused, and as often turning to the refuges frequented by 
them. I never exercised tenderness towards such as these, with- 
out being repaid by them afterwards, if they had opportunity. 
Shimei-like, they would curse me after having shed the best oil of 
tenderness on their heads. There are some in the Christian church 
like Jezebel ; and there are some in our congregations like Joab, 
the son of Zeruiah, that you can scarce discipline them without 
rending the kingdom, until they become ripe for judgment ; for 
they hardly ever repent, more than did Joab and Shimei ; they are 
ultimately suddenly broken, without any danger to the church from 
their fall. 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. 53 

/' I perceive that the Scriptures make a difference between one 
that falls into sin, and one wallowing in it; between one overtaken 
.by a party of mai'auders, and dragged into the camp, and made 
dr-unk at supper, and one like Judas, going to the party, and being 
secretly one of them, having pistols as they had.: such are h}^o- 
crites. I have many times been the advocate of the fallen, and in 
a variety of instances have observed this operating beneficially for 
the church. Sometimes I have found those who had been spared 
upon their own verbal contrition, blessing God for his long forbear- • 
ance of them, and also their spiritual brethren, who had in a man- 
ner set their bone's ; as the Scripture hath it, ' Restore such an one 
in the spirit of meekness.' 

. " We should be careful that discretion and love be in exercise, 
though in strife and contention it be not always an easy matter to.do 
this. * When the beasts of dissension get loose from the caravan, 
Satan sometimes* drives them through the streets of Zion, that they 
may ent^r the houses of the inhabitants ; and like tke lioness that 
escaped from the keepers at Shrewsbury, and attacked the foremost 
horse in the carnage ;* so contentions frequently attack the leaders, 
in order to "stop the carriage of the ministry as it travels on in the 
labors of the pulpit. In the midst of the noise of strife, the man af 
God must raise his voice to heaven for courage and tenderness, so 
that the oil of Christ's love to the souls of nien -may be found in the 
oil-flagon of reproof, which is poured on the head ; for if anger and 
revenge enter in, they will drop, like the spider in Germany, into 
the pot, and that wiU prevent the salutary effect of the oil^ because 
the poison of wrath is mixed with it. The rigliteousness of God 
cannot be fulfilled in this manner in the discipline. ! brother, 
who is sufficient for these things, without constant help from' hea- 
ven ^ How awful is this place ! This is the house of God and the 
gate of heaven — and here is a ladder by which we may climb up 
for help ; and a school in which we may learn how to conduct our- 
selves in the house of God. 

"You cannot. but be conscious, brother, of the great difficulty 
there is not to speak unadvisedly with our lips, as did Moses whilst 
drawing water for the rebellious Israelites. The rebellion of the 

* Sach an accident is said to have occurred at Shrewsbury, in England, a few- 
years ago. . ■* 

e2 



54 ^ MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

people had imbittered his spirit, so that his obduracy stood like a 
cloud between the people and the tenderness of the Lord, when he 
was showing mercy upon them by giving them water. Moses up- 
braided their rebellion instead of showing mercy, as the dispensation 
of God now required ; a dispensation which contained in it a secret 
intimation of the great mercy to be shown by the death of Christ on 
the cross. Their strife was the cause of imbittering the spirit of 
Moses, yet he should have possessed his soul in patience. 

" There are two things, brother, which you should observe : 
First, you will be called upon to attend to causes of contention ; 
and you w'ill find persons so hardened, that you will not be able to 
obtain weapons in all the armory of God's word that will terrify them 
and make them afraid of entering their old haunts. Such are persons 
without faith, and without the fear of God and the love of Christ 
influencing their minds; and though you warn them of the con- 
sequences of their contentions, that they are likely to deprive th^m 
of the privileges of the house of God, and thus forfeit the promised 
land, yet they stand unmoved, nothing terrified, for they value the 
flesh-pots of Egypt and their livelihood there, more than the manna 
and the land of promise. You cannot frighten them, by speaking 
of the danger and loss of the immiunities of the church beloAv, or 
that above ; Esau-like, they will sell their birthright as Christian 
professors for a mess of pottage. A man who has no money is not 
afraid to meet with robbers in the wood ; but the individual that 
has gold to lose will be cautious and watchful, lest he should be 
robbed of his property. On a night of great storm, when ships are 
broken to pieces and sinking, a person wbo has no share' in any of 
them will not tremble or feel any concern on their account. Thus 
there are some «ien concerning whom it is impossible to make them 
dread going out among the rapacious beasts of backslidings, and no 
storms can keep them in fear. Their spirit is one with the marauders, 
and they have no care, for they have nothing to lose in the tempests 
that blow upon the cause of the religion of Christ. These are the 
tares, or the childreiX of the wicked one, in the church. 

" Secondly, for your own encouragement, brother, I remark that 
you will have to attend to the* exercise of discipline, and to treat 
with persons that may be alarmed, and made to tremble at the word 
of God, and not rush on presumptuously in their evil course. 
These are professors who possess white garments, and the gold of 



1\IEM0IR OF EVANS. 55 

faith, and eye-salve from the unction of the Holy One. These 
individuals are rich in faith. They are afraid of revolutions and 
upsettings of the constitutional order of the new covenant, for they 
have funds invested in the stocks of God's kingdom. They are 
afraid that any storm or rock of offence should come in the way of 
the gospel ship, for their treasure is on board of it, and they have 
an interest in it. They dread the thought of walking unwatchfully 
and licentiously, lest they should be robbed of their riches, and 
forfeit the fellowship of God in prayer, lose the light of his counte- 
nance, and his peace in the means of grace,' and lest they should be 
deprived of their confidence in the merits of Christ and a good con- 
science. They have denied themselves, and have pulled out the 
right ^ eye, lest they should not be acceptable before God. They 
'dread harboring in their bosoms the old guilt and former doubts. 
They are cautious not to give a night's lodging to such miscreants 
as anger, revenge, lust, and things which are of the earth; for they 
know that these are robbers, and if they have any indulgence they 
will steal away the title-deeds of assurance to the inheritance. They 
are well aware, alsa, that they will sustain the loss of a pure con- 
science, which has been purged by the blood of Christ, and wiiich, 
as a golden chest, is a preserver of- our confidence immovable unto 
the end. It is possible, brother, to manage and discipline such 
professors. They have something to lose, consequently they will 
not flee from their refuge, lest they should be destroyed. Keep 
that which thou hast. David lost for a season the enjoyment of the 
above blessings; but he w^as cleansed with hyssop, had his spirit .^ 
renewed, and his riches were restored to him by faith's view of the 
Messiah, for which he vowed to sing aloud for ever and ever. He 
prayed, after this, to be delivered from presumptuous sins, lest he 
should be imprisoned a second time by a party so wdcked and 
detestable. May the spiritual gift be kindled in you, brothep. 
Grace be with you for ever and ever. 

" Affectionately, 

" Christmas Evans. 
*^ Caerru^von, August 5, 1836.'^ 



56 • MEMOIR OF EVANS. 



TOUR THROUGH THE PRINCIPALITY. 

In April, 1838, when Mr. Evans had been about four years in 
Caernarvon, the church under his charge received notice to pay up 
the jESOO yet due on their house of worship. He took a tour 
through the principality, to collect money for this purpose. Before 
he set out, he wrote a circular to his brethren, which was published 
in the Welsh Magazine. We make the following extract : — 

" The term of the lease of life has expired in my case, even three 
score and ten years, and I am very inuch afflicted. I have purposed 
to sacrifice myself to this, object, though I am afraid 'I shall die 'in 
the journey, and fear I shall not succeed in my errand for Christ. 
We have no source, to which we can now repair, but ^ our, own 
denomination in Wales, and brethren anti firiendsot other com- 
munities that may sympathize with us. brethren, pray with me 
for protection on the journey — for strength and health .this once^ on 
occasion of my bidding farewell to you all — pray for the light of 
the Lord's countenance upon me in preaching, pray for his own, 
glory, and that his key may open the hearts of the peo"ple to con- 
tribute towards his cause in its present- exigency. help us, breth- 
ren,^— when you see the old brother, after having beei\ 'fifty- three 
years in the ministry, now, instead of being in the grave with his 
colleagues, or resting at home with three of them who are yet alive 
— brethren Lewis of Llanwenarth, Davies of Velin Voel, and Tho- 
mas of Aberduar*— ^when you see him coming, withihe furrows of 
death in his countenance, the flowers of the grave on his head, and 
his whole constitution gradually dissolving; having labored fifty 
years in the ministry in the Baptist denomination. He comes to 
you with hundreds of prayers bubbling as it were from the fountain 
of his heart, and with a mixture of fear and Confidence. do not 
frown upon him ! — he is afraid of your frowns. Smile upon him by, 
contributing cheerfully to his cause this once for all. If you frown 
upon me, ministers and deacons, by intimating an irregular case, I 
am afraid I shall sink into the grave before returning home. This 
is my last sacrifice for the Redeemer's cause." " ^^ 

* The three are since dead; the first two named died before Mr. Evans, and 
Mr. Thomas since. 



MEMOIR OF EVANS. ' 57 

In this journey, he was cordially received everywhere by the 
churches, and very successful in raising money. At no former 
period of his life was his popularity so great as now. . Wherever 
he preached, the place was thronged at an early hour; and fre- 
quently multitudes remained without, unable to obtain admittance. 

MONMOUTHSHIRE ASSOCIATION. 

During ^this four,' he attended the Monmouthshire Association, 
and preached his last associational sermon. In his introduction, he 
described a man whom he had seen in Caernarvon, throwing a few 
beans to a herd of swine that followed him, and thus enticing them 
to the door of the slaughter-house, where they were to be slain ; and 
said that, in a similar manner, with one temptation after another,. 
Satan allures deluded sjnners to the very gates of hell, wherQ they 
are to be tormented for ever and ever. . He spoke of the gospel on 
the day of Pentecost, as a great electrical machine; Christ turning 
*the handle; Peter placing the chain in contaqt with the people; 
and the Holy Ghost descending like a stream' of ethereal fire, and 
melting the hearts of three thousand at once! 

Perhaps no sermon that Mr. Evaiis pver preached evinced more 
vigor of intellect, more power and splendor of genius, than this ; 
and seldom, if ever, had he a more perfect command over the 
feejings of an audience. But the effort was too much for him, and 
he was afterward confined to his room by illness for a week. 

LAST SERMON, SICKNESS, AND DEATH. 

Following this indefatigable man of God, we find him, on Sun- 
day, the fifteenth of July, notwithstanding his late illness, at 
Swansea, preaching like a seraph, on the Prodigal Son in the morn- 
ing, and in the evening on the words of St. Paul — "I am not 
ashamed of the gospel of "Christ," &c. 

The next evening he preached in the church at Mount Pleasant. 
He said he had taken his pulpit model from the day of Pentecost. 
He" described the event of that memorable day, as a great naval 
battle between Emanuel and the Prince of Darkness. "The captain 
of our salvation" sent out twelve little boats to engage the whole 
fleet of heH. For a time all was enveloped in fire and smoke, 
and the issue of the day seemed doubtful ; but when the conflict 



58 MEMOIR OF EVANS. 

ceased, and the cloud cleared away, it was ascertained that the 
twelve little boats had captured three thousand of Satan's ships 
of war. 

When the preacher sat down, he said, '^This is mylastsermon.^^ 
And so it was. That night he was taken violently ill. The next 
day he lay in a partial stupor, taking but little notice of his friends. 
The third day he seemed somewhat better. On the morning of the 
fourth day, Thursday, he arose and w^alked in the garden. Toward 
evening he sunk again, and grew worse during the night. At two 
ojf the clQck on Friday morning, he said to his friends :^" I am 
about to leave you. I have labored in the sanctuary fifty-three 
years ; and this is my comfort and confidence, that I have never 
labored without blood in the basin" — meaning, evidently', that h^ 
had not failed to preach "Jesus Christ, and him crucified." After 
a few more remarks of a similar character, he repeated a Welsh 
stanza, expressive of his firm trust in the Redeemer ; and then, as 
if he had done with earth, and desired to depart, exclaimed in 
English — "Good-bye! drive on!" He now turned over, and 
seemed to sleep. His friends tried to rous'e him. It was too late. 
The angelic postillion had obeyed the order. The chariot had 
passed over the everlasting hills. 

Thus died Chiistmas Evans, at the house of his friend. Rev. 
Daniel Davies, in Swansea, July 19th, 1838, in the 73d year of 
his age, and the 54th of his ministry. His life was blameless, and 
his end was peace. " This honor have all his saints !" 

FUNEREAL SORROW. 

His funeral took place four days after his death. Never before 
was there such a funeral in Swansea, never such a concourse of 
mourners. The people came in crowds, and wept their way to tlie 
grave as if they had been following the bier of their father. The 
melancholy tidings of his departure spread through the principality, 
and the fountains of sorrow were everywhere unsealed. In Angle- 
sea, especially, the grief was deep and universal. There he had 
spent more than half of his ministerial life, and hundreds owned 
him as their father in Christ. The Baptist pulpits were all clothed 
in mourning, and funeral sermons were preached throughout the 
principality. 






PORTEAITURE. 



PERSONAL APPEARANCE. - . 

Mr. Ev-ans was a good-lookirfg man, nearly six feet high, and 
well proportioned. His intellectual faculties, phrenologically speak- 
ing, were amply developed. He had lost one of his eyes in his 
youth, but the .other was large an4 bright enough for two. It had 
a peculiarly penetrating glance ; and when kindling under the 
inspiration of the pulpit, added wonderfully to the effect of his 
eloquence. All his features were expressive of intelligence and 
love ; his whole bearing, dignified and majestic ; and the blending 
of great and amiable qualities in his character commanded at once 
the reverence and the confidence of all who knew him. 



MORAL AND CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 

From the time of his conversion to the day of his death, Mr. Evans 
exhibited a consistent and exemplary piety. Though he several times 
fell into darkness and doubt, and lost a portion of his burning zeal, 
he never forfeited his place in the church, or tarnished his Christian 
name. The uprightness of his deportment was acknowledged by 
all his neighbors; and those of other denominations, differing 
widely from him in creed and custom, always accorded to him the 
reputation of "a holy man of God." But his piety was never 
ostentatious or austere. Modesty and' humility were among his 
most prominent qualities,"and a high degree of Christian cheerful- 
ness characterized his conversation. However low, at times, his 
religious enjoyment, he was always careful to walk with becoming 
circumspection before the world, that the cause of Christ might 
suffer no reproach through his imprudence, 

59 



60 PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 



SOCIAL DISPOSITION. 

Mr. Evans was naturally of a quick and irritable temper ; but 
Divine Grace subdued his constitutional impetuosity, made him 
"gentle toward all men," and clothed him with "the ornament of 
a meek and quiet spirit." He was eminently social in his feelings, 
and took great delight in the company of his friends. It cost him 
no effort to render himself agreeable in any society. In the cottage 
and the mansion he was equally at home, and the unlettered peasant 
and the erudite philosopher were equally interested by his conver- 
sation. He never had any children of his own, but was always 
remarkably fond of the children of others. After discoursing for 
an hour on the sublimest topics of the Christian faith, in a style 
oefitting their importance, to the great delight, and often to the 
amazement of all who heard him, he would descend to the relation 
of some pretty story, in a manner so affectionate arid familiar as at 
once to win the hearts and enlighten the minds of half a dozen 
bright-eyed little creatures, grouped around him like P-eter Parley's 
scholars in the picture. ; . • . . , ' 



. READING AND STUDY. 

Mr. Evans was a great lover of books. He seized and devoured 
with avidity every interesting volume that fell in his way. He" 
never resorted to reading, however, as a mere pastime. He sought 
for mental and -spiritual treasures to enrich his sermons. For this 
he beat the fields and -dug the wells of knowledge. Every thing 
was made subservient to his holy calKng. Every thing was pressed 
into his preparations for the pulpit. His authors were selected 
with prudent dilscrimination, and perused with earnest attention, 
•indicating an intense desire to be thoroughly furnished for his work. 
He studied what he read. He was- extensively acquainted with 
the best theological writers of the age, and quoted them frequently 
in his <liscourses. But there is one volume to which he referred 
more frequently than to all the rest, " the book of books divine." 
He was emphatically " a man mighty in the Scriptures." From 
the word of God he derived the principal matter of his preaching. 



PORmAITURE OF EVANS. 6 J 

Even that lofty knagery which constituted the peculiar charm of his 
ministry, was ordinarily but an amplification of scriptural tropes 
aijd descriptions. In theology, next to the Bible, Dr. Owen w^as 
his- favorite authcrr. • He paid considerable attention to Oriental 
manners and customs;, was well read in history, ancient and 
modem; and particularly fond of tracing the rise and fall of 
empires. 

DEVOTIONAL HABITS. • 

Mr. Evans was eminently a man of prayer. Prayer was his daily- 
i)read, the very breath of his spirit He considered himself entitled, 
through Christ, to all the blessings of the' gospel, and came boldly 
to the thr<me of grace in every time of need. During his whole 
ministerial life, nmch of his time.was^ spent in the closet. It was 
"his- Custoih for many years, to'retire for devotion three times' during- 
the day, and rise regularly for the same purpose at midnight. The . 
disorders , of the church, the slanders .of his enemies, and the various 
afflictions of life, all drove him. to the rnercy-seat, and made him 
peculiarly earnest and importunate in supplication. After these 
seasons of agony, he came iato the churchy or the social circle, as 
an angel from the presence of God, and " all his garments smelt of 
myrrh and aloes and cassia from the ivory palaces." 

He never undertook a new 'enterprise, without first asking 
counsel of the Lord. \Mien he had a call to another field of labor, 
he could not decide upon the matter till he had spread it repeatedly 
before the thr-One. When he was about to preach at an association,. 
or on any important occasion, he wrestled for hours wdth the 
angel" of the covenant, nor rehnquished his hold till he felt himself 
'^ endued with power from on high." Then he came foi^h to the 
congregation, as Moses from the Tabernacle, when he had com- 
muned with God. Just before leaving home on his tour of collec- 
tion for the Caernarvon cKurch, the last labor of his life, he penned 
in his book of appointments the following paragraph : — 

*' Lord, grant me my desire on this journey, for thy name's 
sake. My first petition ; — Comfort in Christ — the comfort of love — 
the bowels of love and mercy in the denomination — the fellowship 
of the Spiri^.— Amen. My second petition ; — That the sermons I 
have prep^ed for this journey may increase in their ministration, 
like the five loaves and two fishes. — Amen. C. E." 

F 



62 PORTRAITTJRi: OP EYANS,* 



CHRISTIAN BENEFICENCE. 



Mr. Evans was a poor man, but " rich in good works." Suffering 
poverty always excited his pity, and opened his purse. -Wherever 
he beheld distress, he was " ready to distribute, willing to commu- 
nicate," according to the ability which God had given him. His 
salary in Anglesea, for twenty years, was only seventeen pounds 
per annum ; and afterward, only thirty. With so small an income, 
he could not be expected to bestow much upon the various objects 
of charity. But he gave annually one pound to the Bible Society, 
one pound to the Missionary Society, and ten shillings to the Baptist 
Education Society, besides contributing liberally to the relief of the 
'poor and the sick in his neighborhood. 

Sometimes his liberality was larger than his purse. Once, when 
a Protestant Irishman, poorly clad, told him that he spent much 
time in reading the Scriptures to his illiterate countryman, hfe pulled 
off his own coat, and gave it to him. At another time, he presented 
a poor Jew, who had recently been converted to Christianity, a new 
suit of. clothes, the best-he had in his wardrobe. While in Anglesea, 
he. visited a brother in the church, who had been reduced by pro- 
tracted illness to a condition of great distress; and finding the 
family almost in a stata-of starvation, emptied his pocket of fhe 
only pound he had. Hrs wife remonstrated with him, told him 
she had not bread enough in the house to last twenty-four hours, 
and demanded what be would do now he had given- away all his 
money. His only answer was:. *' Jehovah-jireh; the Lord will 
provide !" The next day he received a letter from England, 
enclosing two pounds as a present. As soon as he had read it, he 
called out to his wife; — ''Catherine! I told thee that Providence 
would return the alms-pound, for it was a loan to the Lord ; and 
see, here it is, doubled in one day!" It is evident from this inci- 
dent, that Mr. Evan^' liberality was. the fruit of his faith in God.; 
and the good man's confidence is never put to shame. " There is 
that scattereth, and yet increaseth;" 



PORTRAITURE OR EVANS. 63 



SPIRIT OF FORGIVENESS. 



*' Be ye mercifill, even as your Father wbo is in heaven is merci- 
ful." There is no virtue more beautiful in its character, or more 
important to the Christian, than, that thus enjoined by the Son of 
God. The spirit of forgiveness infinitely transcends all the effects 
of mere human philosophy, and allies man to his Maker. In this 
amiable quality, Christmas Evans was never wanting'. He took a 
thousand times tnore^ pleasure in pardoning the offender, than the 
offender in asking his pardon. " It was only," says his Welsh 
biographer, "for the person who had given offence to make some 
sort of acknowledgment, to say there had" been ^ misunderstandings 
Mr. Evans would anticipate him with :— ' 0, say nothing about it ! 
let it te buried! very Jikely I have been in fault myself!' " The 
spirit of Mr» Evans' diary everywhere corroborates this description 
of his character. We extract a single paragraph : — 

"I trust that by the grape of God, I have overcome my natural 
disposititDn fo' anger and revejige. I have been enabled to forgive 
my greatest enemies, and pray that they may be forgiven of God. 
I can say from my heart, with Stephen ; ' Lord, lay not this sin to 
their charge !' I have no wish that any of them should, suffer for 
their attempts to injure me, but that they may all be led to repent- 
ance, and settle their matters at the mercy-seat, where I hope also 
irat the multitude of my own trespasses will be covered and for-' 



gotten." 



• His mercy was as impartial as it was cordial. He had held a 
controversy with a minister>of another sect, who, forgetting the 
rules of Christian courtesy, treated him very unkindly before the 
public. This minister was afterward arraigned and imprisoned on 
a very serious allegation. If he had been convicted, degradation 
from the ministry would have been the smallest part of his punish- 
ment. Mr. Evans, learning the fact, and believing the prosecution 
unjust and malicious, felt greatly distressed for his polemical oppo- 
nent. On the day of trial, he retired to his room, and poured out 
his heart to God on his behalf, for a long time, and with peculiar 
fervor. Then he waited with great anxiety for the issue. As he 
sat at the table, with several friends and brethren, a minister, who 
had been at court, entered the room, and said : " Mr. is 



64 PORTRAIJURE OF EVANS. 

acquitted !" Mr. Evans instantly fell upon his kne^s, with tears 
streaming down his face, and exclaimed : — " Thanks be unto thee, 
Lord Jesus! for delivering one of thy servaats from the Hti»uth 
of the lions!" He then arose, saluted his friend, and.jpfcied in 
t^^i,ijtual oo^gj^wlg-tions of the compaiiy^ . ' '* . 

CATHOLIC GENEROSITY. , " 

That Christmas Evans was no bigot, might be inferred from the 
above anecdote. But wje-haye other and ampler evidence of his 
Christian catholicity. He was a Baptist ; and, with the rest of his 
brethren, a strenuous advocate for exclusive immersion. He was 
a Calvinist, and thought it very important to- vindicate against 
Arminian views what are sometimes called "the doctrines of 
grace." But he was also a Christian, and held all other Christians 
as brethren. He did not repudiate the sincerely pious, because 
they could not say his " Shibboleth.'' Kind, candid, and ingenuous, 
he judged of things according to their real value and importance, 
and appreciated true talent and virtue wherever he faiind thetia* 
His creed was not; *^I am of Paul ;" nor, -"I am of ApoUos;"' 
nor, " I am of John the Baptist;" but, "We are all of Christ!" 
He was not blinded by the senseless prejudice of sect. He Avas 
influenced less by the peculiarities of his denomination than by the 
love of Christ. ' Many of his warmest friends were- ministers of 
other orders ; and of the Methodists and Congregationalists at 
Caernarvon, he made honorable mention in his diary. 

The most despicable reptile of the moral wotld is envy, the spirit 
that prompted revolt in heaven, and hurled archangels down to 
hell. Yet it is often found among Christians ; among the ministers 
of a religion whose very principle is charity. Some men, like king 
Saul, can never bear a rival. If the thousands of Israel raise the 
voice and ifune- the lyre in honor of some victorious David, tlie evilj 
spirit comes upon them, and they launch their javelin's at the young 
anointed, and seek " to smite him even to the wall." From such 
feelings ,JVIr. Evans was always free. His large .heart was» utterly 
mcapable of anything of the kind. He esteemed others better than 
himself, and in honor preferred his brethren. Wherever he dis- 
covered talent and sanctified ambition in a young preacher, he 
never exerted an influence to hinder him, but heaitily bade him 



PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 65 

God speed. He did not deem it necessary to smite him on the 
head with a cudgel to keep him in his place. He was not afraid 
that others would outshine him in the pulpit. He would gladly 
have taken his place at the feet of any of Christ's ambassadors. 
He was willing to accord due praise to merit, not only in the dead, 
but also in the hving ; not only in those of other countries and other 
denominations, but also in those of his native principality and the 
Baptist church. His immediate contemporaries and neighbors were 
often the subjects of his highest encomiums. His heart was as large 
as the world! 



INGENUOUSNESS AND HONESTY. 

■ A late American writer has said of insincerity, that it is the most 
detestable of all vices for which men go unhung. Yet it must be 
admitted, there is no vice more prevalent, even among the professed 
followers of Him, " who knew no iniquity, neither was guile found 
in his lips." The sentiment, that it is right to deceive for the good 
of the church, is not peculiar to the Papists. Perhaps the enlight- 
ened Protestant can scarcely be found, who would verbally avow 
such a doctrine ; but it is often practically avowed, even by the 
messenger of truth; and ecclesiastical elevation is sometimes attri- 
butable more to dishonesty than to real virtue or talent. 

Christmas Evans' popularity, however, could boast a better origin. 
It was the spontaneous fruit of his graces and his gifts. He was 
never indebted to unfair and underhanded measures for his success. 
His conduct was always open and ingenuous. Of deceit and secret 
design he was incapable. He never attempted to build up his 
own church by proselyting the converts of other churches. In one 
instance, when a young man, who had been educated for the minis- 
try in the established church of England, came to him, desirmg 
baptism by immersion, instead of eagerly seizing upon so valuable 
an acquisition to the Baptists, as some doubtless would have done, 
he endeavored to dissuade him from' his purpose, and yielded at 
length only to his fervent importunity. 

He deemed the slightest departure from truth, in any instance, a 

crime, and a deep disgrace to the Christian character. He was 

innocent and unsuspecting as a child. His frank and confiding 

disposition was unquestionably the occasion of most of his heavy 

9 f2 



66 PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 

trials. Jealous and malicious men took advantage of "his Christian 
simplicity, and made one of his sweetest virtues a poison to his 
peace. 

He once employed a person to sell a horse for him- at -a fair. 
After some time, he went out to see if he was likely'to succeed. 
There was a man bargaining for the animal^ and the contract was 
nearly completed. 
. " Is this your horse, Mr. Evans .?" said the purchaser. 

" Certainly it is," he replied. 

" What is his age, sir .^" • . * ' . 

'' Twenty-three years." 

" But this man tells me he is only fifteen." 
. "He is certainly twenty-three, for he has been with me these 
twenty years, and he was three years old when I bought him.' 

" Is he safe-footed ?" . . , 

"Very far from that, I assure you, or I would' iiot,part with him, 
and he has never been put in harness since I have had him either." 

"Please to go into the house, Mr. Evans," whispered the man 
whom he had employed to make the sale, " for I shall never dis- 
pose of the horse while you are present." 

The frank manner, however, in which Mr. Evans told him all 
the truth, induced the dealer to make the purchase at a very hand- 
some price ; while it procured for Mr. Evans a good name, which 
is better than gold. . 

SARCASTIC REBUKES. 

In conversation he was always careful of the feelings of others. 
He would never employ a sarcastic remark, but for the purpose of 
merited rebuke. " It is better," said he, " to keep sarcasms 
pocketed, if we cannot use them without wounding the feelings of 
a friend." But he was capable, when occasion required, of wield- 
ing this weapon with terrible effect. Take the following instances 

Just before his removal from Cardiff to Caernarvon, he w^as con 
versing on the contemplated change in a circle of several ministers. 
His labors had been solicited in two or three other places, and the 
company were canvassing the comparative claims of the different 
churches. A feeble-minded young man present, who " thought 
more highly of himself than he ought to think," said : — " It is my 



PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 6t 

opinien, Father Evans, that you had better go to Caernarvon. It is 
not likely your talents would suit either of the other places, but I 
think you might do very well at Caernarvon." Mr. Evans opened 
his large eye upon the speaker, and replied; — "And hast tliou 
peeped ? When didst thou creep from the shell ?" 

Once, two ministers, of different sects, were disputing in his 
presence on what he deemed an unimportant matter of ecclesiastical 
discipline. One of them' asked : — " What say you, Mr. Evans ?" 
Mr. Evans replied : — '* I saw two boys quarrelling over two snails. 
One of them insisted that his snail was the better, because it had 
horns; while the other as strenuously argued for the superiority of 
his, because it had none. The boys were very angiy and vocife- 
rous, but the. two snails were friends." The disputants burst into a 
hearty Uugh, and the debate- ended. 

A shallow atheist was ridiculing the idea of a God, because, as 
he alleged, he had no sensible evidence of his being. Mr. Evans 
answered : — " My friend, the mole in the meadow has never seen 
a king ; shall he therefore say there is no king ? thou atheistic 
mole ! thou hast never travelled out of thy own narrow field ; and 
if thou hadst, thou hast no eyes to see with ; and wilt thou dare to 
say there is no God ? Dost thou think all others as blind as thy- 
self? All that thou canst say is, that thou dost not see God, and 
dost not wish to see him. How dost thou know that the being of 
a God is not so manifest on the other side of the river of death, that 
no doubt is entertained concerning it throughout all the expanse of 
eternity? Cait'the earth-mole -say there is no grand Lama in 
Thibet ? Poor worm ! thou must travel through the gates of death, 
and fathom the bottomless pit, and measure the land of destruction, 
and scale the very heaven of heavens, and surround all the borders 
of time and eternity, before thou canst assure thyself there is no 
God!" 



PULPIT TALENTS AND LABORS. 

As a preacher, Mr. Evans was very peculiar. No translation of 
his sermons can give the English reader an adequate idea of their 
force and beauty in the original. 

He was exceedingly methodical and perspicuous. His arrange- 
ment was never loose and vague ; his thoughts never confused and 



68 PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 

mingled together. He was a " wise master-builder," who took 
care to lay a broad and firm foundation, and then "built thereon 
gold, silver, and precious stones." The several parts of his dis- 
course bore a mutual relation of dependence, and each would have 
been incomplete without the others. His order was so natural, 
that it was very easy to follow him ; and his manner so impressive, 
that it was nearly impossible to forget him. 

He never spoke on a subject that he did not understand. Before 
entering the pulpit, he invariably measured his text in all its extent, 
and considered it in every possible aspect. " He had a wonderful 
method," says one, " of making the most abstruse passages appear 
easy and plain. He interpreted scripture by scripture, and exhibited 
the component parts of his subject in a clear and beautiful manner, 
and illustrated them by the most appropriate and striking metaphors ; 
and forging link by link, united them together, and bound the whole 
up in one glorious chain. His talents were such as to enable him 
to, cast a ray of light upon the darkest points of the Christian 
system.'' 

Mr. Evans' descriptive powers were altogether unique. He 
abounded in allegories of the most forcible character. In this 
respect, he was equalled by none of his contemporaries; trans- 
cended by none of his predecessors. Passages of this kind will be 
so frequently met with in the following selection from his sermons, 
that it is not necessary to point them out to the reader. 

His happy art of description is attributable chiefly to a very 
remarkable imagination. This is one of the primary qualities of an 
orator. When it is lacking, no depth of learning, no graces of 
delivery, can compensate for its lack. True, argument is import- 
ant. There is no eloquence without argument. Argument must 
constitute the bone and the sinew of every good discourse. But 
the bone and the sinew constitute only the skeleton. Imagination 
must supply the muscle and the nerve. Imagination must clothe 
it with beauty, and inspire it with life ; give expression to the 
features, animation to the eye, and to the tongue motion and melody 
articulate. Argument is the John Baptist of eloquence, after whom 
there cometh a mightier, baptising with fire ! 

"Logic," says Carlyle, " is good, but not the best. The irrefraga- 
ble doctor, with his chain of inductions, his corollaries, dilemmas, 
and other cunning logical diagrams and apparatus, 'will cast you a 



PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 69 

beautiful horoscope, and speak you reasonable things ; never- 
theless, the stolen jewel which you wanted him to find you is not 
forthcoming. Often, by some winged word, winged as the thunder- 
bolt is, of a Luther, Napoleon, Goethe, shall we see the difficulty 
split asunder, and its secret laid bare ; while the irrefragable, with 
all his logical roots, hews at it, and hovers round it, and finds it on 
all sides too hard for him." 

Mr. Evans had feeling as well as fancy. This in a preacher is 
even more important than the other. Here, we conceive, lies the 
principal distinction between the orator and the poet. Poetry is the 
language of fancy; eloquence, the language of feeling. The 
preacher who operates only on the judgment and the fancy may 
instruct and please, and thus prepare the way for persuasion. Per- 
suasion itself requires a warm and glowing heart. Eloquence has 
been defined, " the power of imparting one's feelings to others." 
** If you want me to weep,". said Horace, " you must weep your- 
self." The preacher who is himself unmoved, will toil in vain to 
move his hearers. His sermon may be as beautiful as the moon- 
beams on the snow ; but it will be as powerless and as cold. As 
saith Longinus : — " The orator must have a vehement and enthusi- 
astic passion, a certain madness, or divine phrensy,' breathing into 
his thoughts, and inspiring- his speech." To use- the language of 
another : — " Truth must be planted in the hot-bed of feeling, if we 
would witness its flowery development, and enjoy its fruit. The 
orator must be roused and inflamed by the majesty of his theme ; 
not wrought up into an unmeaning fury, like a tempest in a tea-pot ; 
but influenced and agitated by solemn considerations of truth, duty, 
interest, and moral grandeur." 

If this description of eloquence was ever realized in the pulpit, 
it was in the preaching of Christmas Evans. He spoke what he 
felt, and because he felt. The fountain was in his own soul, and 
it flowed out upon his audience in streams of living water. He was 
always full of his subject, and his ordinary manner was exceedingly 
ardent and pathetic. Sometimes- ho seemed quite overwhelmed 
with the magnitude and grandeur of his theme, and then he spoke 
with such impassioned earnestness as to storm the hearts of his 
hearers. Thus inspired, it was scarcely possible that any man of 
ordinar}' sensibilities should be otherwise than eloquent. But Mr. 
Evans' talents were of a superior order ; and when kindling: with the 



70 PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 

enthusiasm of his message, he became peculiarly energetic and 
impressive. " His words came out," as Longinus says, " as it 
discharged from an engine," and their influence rested like a spell 
upon the ear and the heart. He transported his hearers beyond 
the region of argument, and leaving all their cavils and prejudices 
immeasurably behind, rapt them away to the third heaven of 
ecstasy! . 

The secret of all this, power is found in the preacher's piety. 
He was a man of eminent faith and holiness. The'" things new 
and old" for "the edification of his -hearers, he f' brought forth out 
of the treasure of his own heart." The love of God within- him 
imparted to his preaching a wonderful unction. His splendid 
mental creations were instinct with the inspiration of sanctified 
feeling. This divine anointing often rendered him superior to him- 
self, clothed him with a superhuman energy, till he seemed a' 
messenger from the other world. The man was lost in his theme. 
Art was swallowed up in the whirlpool of excited feeling. The 
audience were swept irresistibly along by the current of the dis- 
course ; acknowledging, by tears and groans, the preacher's hold 
upon their hearts ; and sometimes losing all self-control, and burst- 
ing into the most extravagant expressions of wonder and delight. 
On this' subject take the language of one, who, from personal 
acquaintance with Mr. Evans, was qualified to form a correct 
estimate of his character as a Christian minister :— 

" He was also an experimental preacher. That a preacher feel 
his subject, constitutes one of his excellencies ; but that his sermon 
be deeply imbued with the spiritual experience of the preacher, is 
the crowning point of his excellency. It is true, a person may 
speak well of the distress of other people, but he will speak more 
powerfully of his own distress. Persons may expatiate very 
eloquently on the pleasant fragrance of the herbs and flowers of 
foreign lands, but those who have themselves participated in the 
fragrant odors, in the soft breezes of those countries, can describe 
them in an infinitely superior manner, and to much greater advan- 
tage. Many may speak fluently of the mercies of God, in provi- 
dence and grace — protecting, preserving, pardoning sinners, &c. ; 
but those who have experienced a sense of the divine mercy in their 
own souls can speak much better of it. Mr. Evans had an expe- 
rience of the things of God, Not only had he heard of Calvary, 



PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 71 

but in Calvar}- he lived ;■ not only had he heard of the bread of 
angels and of the corn of heaven, but this bread and this corn were- 
his daily food; not only had. he heard of the river of life, .the 
streams whereof make glad the city of our God, but the crystal 
waters of this river were his constant drink; not only had be 
heard of tiie renewing influences of the grace of God, but he him- 
self had been made the subject of these influences. He had expe- 
rienced the operations of the Spirit renovating his own heart, and 
therefore he could speak of them, not as a matter- of hearsay, but 
with the apostle — ' And what our. hands have handled of the Word 
of life, declare we unto you.' "* 

^Ir. Evans' preaching was highly evangelical. " Jesus Christ 
and him crucified," was the alpha and omega of his ministry. The 
character of the following sermons fully justifies that remarkable 
sa)ing upon his death-bed : "I have never labored without blood 
in- the basin." Every one of them is - illustrative of some im- 
portant point in the economy of' salvation." Every one of them 
tends to humble the sinner, and exalt the gi'ace of God. Every 
one of them abounds with lofty views of the Divine Justice and 
Mercy. • " 

." It is generally allowed," observes his friend "that the people 
\Ch£> are trained by a minister, and moulded by his instructions, are 
a good evidence of the tendency of his doctrine and ministiy.' In 
this view then, it is observed, the church where he more statedly 
labored in Anglesea, and where the most of his care and efforts 
were bestowed, were a people mighty in the Scriptures ; that they 
would converse well and readily on most of the doctrines of the 
Christian faith ; that they labored much to improve in knowledge, 
and were active in the cause of religion. These nearly all were 
Mr. Evans' own people ; they were nurtured by him, and upon his 
ministerial food they grew to be men, and were wholly according 
to the mold of his doctrine. It has been remarked, ' that if volumes 
upon volumes were written upon the subject of the tendency of his 
ministry, it could never be exhibited to greater advantage than has 
been done by himself, in those bright, clear, and golden letters, 
which he has inscribed upon the people of his charge at 
Llangevni.' " 

* 1 John i 1—3. 



72 PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 

The following extracts from Mr. ^ Evans contain his views of the 
evangelical over the legal style of preaching : — 

" While a preacher inculcates duties in any way but with a view 
to the promises of mercy, and of undeserved strength, he is more 
like to a moral philosopher, than to the apostles and preachers that 
have been a blessing unto men, such as Whitefield, and hundreds 
who have been in a degree blessed in the same doctrine, and by the 
same Spirit. It is not in the duties we are to rest, but in' Christ. 
' Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord — that they may rest 
from their labors, and their works follow them.^ It was not in 
reliance upon their works they passed through the river of death, 
as if presumptuously on a bundle of rushes, but their works will 
meet them in the judgment day, to be weighed there' in the balance 
of the faith and love of Christ ; and they will be there as witnesses 
on the part of the saints, bearing testimony that the love of Christ 
constrained them to live to him that died for them and was raised 
again." 

Again : — " By endeavoring to avoid the bog, you sink in the 
quicksands^while you are hiding tlie system of grace, and casting 
it, as it were, into the shade — duties without faith are not accepta- 
ble, for * without faith it is impossible to please God.' I compare 
you to a dry-goods merchant, who should hang up a piece of white 
cloth over the shelves of his store, where the cloths, fine linen, 
silks, &c., are kept, and thus hiding every article in his store, 
without exposing any thing to the view of his customers, yet he 
would stand at the counter, and address them in the language of 
surprise. Why do you not buy here, for I know you have where- 
with? So some preach, standing like the store-keeper at the 
counter, saying, while the doctrine of grace is kept out of sight. 
Why do you not buy here ? for we know that you have the money 
of ability ; but you spend your money in the shops of the lusts of 
the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life. But they 
reply. What shall we buy, sir ? you tell us that there is salvation in 
your store — and fine linen wrought out from Bethlehem to Cal- 
vary, and white raiment ; gold and pearls, and food and" drink 
indeed ; but you hide them under the vail : bring them to the 
counter, and open them before us ; show us, carefully and plainly, 
whence this salvation proceeds, and by what means it has been pro- 
cured ; — has it been expensive to some one, seeing it is free for us ?" 



PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 73 

Once more : — " I compare such preachers to a miner, who 
should go to the quarry where he raised the ore, and taking his 
sledse in his hand, should endeavor to form bars of iron of the ore 
in its rough state, without a furnace to melt it, or a rolling-mill to 
roll it out, or molds to cast the metal, and conform the casts to 
their patterns. The gospel is like a form or mold, and sinners 
are to be melted, as it were, and cast into it. ' But ye have obeyed 
from the heart that form, of doctrine w^hich was delivered you,'* or 
into which you were delivered, as is the marginal reading, so that 
your hearts ran into the mold. Evangelical preachers have, in the 
name of Christ, a mold or form to cast the minds of men into ; as 
Solomoa, the vessels of the temple. The Sadducees and Pharisees 
had their forms, and legal preachers have their forms ; but evange- 
lical preachers should bring \\dth them the ' form of sound words,' 
so that, if the hearers believe, or are melted into it, Christ may be 
formed in their hearts — then they will be as born of the truth, and 
the. image of the truth will appear in their sentiments and experi- 
ence, and in their conduct in the church, in the family, and in the 
neighborhood. Preachers without the mold, are all those w^ho do 
not preach all the points of the gospel of the grace of God." 

Christmas Evans was in labors more abundant than any of his 
Welsh contemporaries. We have stated in the m^emoir, that while 
in Anglesea, he frequently preached five times a day, and walked 
twenty miles. During his ministry, he made forty journeys from 
North to South Wales, and preached one hundred and sixty-three 
associational sermons. It is wonderful that his extensive travels 
and arduous labors did not hurry him to the grave before he had 
lived out half his days. But he had a firm and vigorous constitu- 
tion ; and having borne the burden and the heat of the day, the 
]\Iaster sustained him in the vineyard till the setting of the sun. 

And his labors were as successful as they were extensive. " The 
sound of heaven," remarks his friend " was to be heard in his 
sermons. He studied his discourses well ; he ' sought to find out 
acceptable words, even vrords of truth ;' and the Holy Ghost 
attended his ministry in an extraordinary manner." 

Few men of modern times have had a more numerous spiritual 
family than he. Wherever he went, throughout all Wales, multi- 



• Rom. vi. 17. 

10 G 



74 PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 

tudes claimed him as their father in Christ. " In his day the Baptist 
associations acquired their great popularity, and in his day arose a 
number of the most respectable ministers ever known in the princi- 
pality." Some of them were his own converts, and many of them 
had their talents inspired and their zeal inflamed under his powerful 
ministry. " Life and evangelical savor," said one of them, " attend 
Christmas Evans, wherever he is." "None of us," said another, 
" understand and comprehend the full extent of his usefulness." 
The celebrated Robert Hall mentioned his talents in terms of high 
commendation, and ranked him among the first men of his age. 
A Congregational clergyman, who was well acquainted with him, 
speaks of him as follows : — 

" He is a connecting link between the beginning and the ending 
of this century.* He has the light, the talent, and the taste of the 
beginning, and has received every new light that has appeared 
since. He was enabled to accompany the career of religious 
knowledge in the morning, and also to follow its rapid strides in 
the evening. In this he is unlike every other preacher of the day : 
the morning and evening light of this wonderful century meet in 
him. He had strength to climb up to the top of Carmel in the 
morning, and remain there during the heat of the day, and see the 
fire consuming the sacrifice and licking up the water ; his strength 
continued, by the hand of the Lord, so that he could descend from 
the mount in the evening, and run without fainting before the king's 
chariot to Jezreel." 

' We conclude this brief and somewhat imperfect portraiture with 
the following characteristic paragraph from the pen of Mr. Evans, 
illustrative of his views, not only of the right kind of pulpit minis- 
tration, but also of the injurious influence and tendency of the 
principal theological controversies which during his day agitated 
the Baptist churches in the principality of Wales : — 

" I consider that a remarkable day has begun upon Wales. The 
dawn of this day was with Vavasor Powell and Walter Caradork ; 
the former amongst the Baptists and the latter amongst the Inde- 
pendents (Congregationalists). Several churches were gathered in 
both denominations in the twilight of morning. But when Row- 
lands and Harris rose — it was the sunrising of this revival day. 

* The eighteenth. 



PORTRAITURE OF EVANS. 75 

Mr. Jones, of Pontypopl, was one of the sons of the sunrising. 
About ten or eleven o'clock, a host of Baptists, Calvinistic Metho- 
dists, and Congregationalists, arose ; and among this class I had 
the honor of entering the field. The day was warm — the sermons 
and prayers were short, and the doctrine was evangelical. But I 
have reached the evening, and the day is greatly cooled. Power, 
tenderness, and the cross of Christ, marked the sermons in the 
morning ; but length and tediousness are the distinguishing features 
of the prayers and sermons in the evening. It was too warm to 
preach two hours. in the heat of the day. It appears, also, that 
talents are become much weaker and more effeminate as the even- 
ing spreads its shades. Beyond a doubt, the preaching of intricate 
points — something like! questions concerning the law, and endless 
genealogies, have been the means of cooling the work and the work- 
men in the evening of the day. They will now lift up their heads 
and talk to every traveller that passes the field ; and towards 
^lerionethshire, they will inquire, * Dost thou know any thing 
about Sandemanianism ?' and in other districts they will ask, * Dost 
thou know something about Williamsism* and Fullerism ?' and in 
consequence you may see young doctors many, springing up, talk- 
ing Hke learned Lilliputians. ' Some say that Christ died for all, 
and others that it was for his church he died ; but the truth is this,' 
said the Lilliputians : ' he did not die for any man, but for the sin 
of all men.'' 1 was there also on the great platform of this period, 
but I dared not condemn all systems by a sweeping sentence of 
infallibility, and take the bagpipe under my arm, as some were 
disposed to do, and cry down every new voice without proving it. 
' Prove all things.' " 

*Dr. Edward Williams, of Rotherham, author of some abstruse inquiries on 
the Divine Sovereignty. 



SEEMOJ^S 



OP 



CHRISTMAS EVANS, 

% NetD translation from tl] e tOeblj. 



B'TEODL'CTIOyv 



In presenting to the public a selection from the sennons of Christ- 
mas Evans, we find ourselves embarrassed by two circumstances : 

First. — It is impossible to exhibit on paper the peculiarly forcible 
elocution of the author. Some of the most effective discourses ever 
dehvered seem comparatively powerless when perused afterward 
in private. This observation is verified m the case of the two most 
remarkable pulpit orators of modem times, George Wl^itefield and 
John Summerfield. Their spoken eloquence was like the breath- 
mgs o( the seraphim, but their printed sermons are of no f ery extra- 
ordinary character. Like them, Mr. Evans was much indebted, for 
his success, to a very popular and powerful delivery. His appear- 
ance in the pulpit was fine and commanding ; his voice, one of 
unrivalled compass and melody ; his gesticulation, always easy, 
appropriate, and forcible ; and when he warmed under the inspira- 
tion of his theme, his large brighjt eye shot fire through the assembly. 
But the sermons are now divested "of all these auxiliary accompani- 
ments ; and without the prophet before us, we ma\' wonder at the 
effects attributed to his message. The following selections will 
give the reader at least a tolerable idea of Mr. Evans' modes of 
thought and illustration ; but if he would have any adequate con- 
ception of the splendid phantasmagora in process of exhibition, he 
must imagine the burning lamp within the scenes. 

But the greater difficulty is the impossibility' of a perfect transla- 
tion. Genius is proverbially eccentric. Mr. Evans' style is alto- 
gether unique. ' The structure of his sentences is ver}- original. 
None of his coijntr}-men approximated his peculiar mode of expres- 
sion. It would be exceedingly difficult for any man, however well 
qualified to translate other Welsh authors, to render him into 
English, with the preservation, everywhere, of his sphit. The 

79 



80 INTRODUCTION. 

writer at first thought of publishing a selection from his sermons, 
as translated by J. Davis ; but upon examination, that translation 
was found so faulty, that it was deemed expedient, if possible, to 
produce a new. In pursuance of this purpose he obtained the aid 
of a friend, whose excellent literary taste, and accurate acquaintance 
with both languages, constitute a sufficient guarantee for the general 
correctness of the following translation. It lays no claim to perfec- 
tion, though it is at least free from the most obvious and glaring 
faults of Mr. Davis' version. Some of the nicest shades of thought 
are inevitably lost, and many of the startling metaphors and splen- 
did allegories have doubtless suffered some diminution of their 
original force and beauty ; but the writer trusts' that enough of the 
author's spirit is retained to furnish a pretty correct idea of his 
talents, and render the book acceptable to the reader. 

With these apologetic remarks, we commit the sermons of Christ- 
mas Evans to the press; praying that they may be accompanied 
with something of the same Divine unction, as when, in their 
original delivery by the author, they " set the land of Cambria on 
■fire!" . 

JOSEPH CROSS. 

Phitadelphia, May 30, 1846. 



SERMOX I. 

THE TIME OF REFORMATION, 



" Uniil the time of reformation:''— Reh. ix. 10. 

'The ceremonies pertaining to the service of God under the 
Sinaic dispensation were entirely typical in their character ; mere 
figures of Christ, the " High-priest 9f good things to come, by a 
greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands ;" who, 
" not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, has 
entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemp- 
tion for us." Sustaining such a relation to other ages and events, 
they were necessarily imperfect, consisting " only in meats and 
drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances," not intended 
for perpetual observance, but imposed upon the Jewish people 
merely "until the time of reformation," when the shadow should 
give place to the substance, and a Greater than JMoses should 
" make all things new." Let us notice the time of reformation, 
and. the reformation itself. 

I. Time may be divided into three parts ; the Golden Age before 
the fall, the Iron Age after the fall, and the Messiah's Age of Jubilee. 

In the Golden Age, the heavens and the eailh were created ; the 
garden of Eden was planted ; man was made in the image of God, 
and placed in the garden to dress and to keep it ; matrimony was 
instituted ; and God, resting from his labor, sanctified the Seventh 
Day, as a day of holy rest to man. 

The Iron Age was introduced by the temptation of a foreigner, 
who obtruded himself into Paradise, and persuaded its happy 
denizens to cast off the golden yoke of obedience and love to God. 
Man, desiring independence, became a rebel against Heaven, a 
miserable captive of sin and Satan, obnoxious to the Divine dis- 
pleasure, and exposed to eternal death. The law was violated ; 
11 81 



82 THE TIME OF REFORMATION. 

the image of God was lost, and the enemy came in like a flood. 
All communication between the island of time and the continent 
of immortality was cut off, and the unhappy exiles saw no hope of 
crossing the ocean that intervened. 

The Messiah's Age may be divided into three parts ; the time of 
Preparation, the time of Actual War, and the time of Victory and 
Triumph. -j 

The Preparation began with the dawning of the day in Eden, 
when Messiah came in the ship of the Promise, and landed on the 
island of Time, and notified' its inhabitants of his gracious intention 
to visit them again, and assume their nature, and live and die 
among them ; to break their covenant allegiance to the prince of 
the* iron yoke; and deliver to them the charter, signed and sealed 
with his own blood, for the redemption and renovation of their 
island, and the restoration of its suspended intercourse with the 
land of Eternal Life. The motto inscribed upon the banners of 
this age was, — " He shall bruise thy heel, and thou shalt bruise his 
head." Here Jehovah thundered forth his hatred of sin from the 
thick darkness, and wrote his curse in fire upon the face-of heaven ; 
while rivers -of sacrificial blood proclaimed the miserable state of 
man, and his need of a costlier atonement than mere humanity could 
offer. Here also the spirit of Messiah fell upon the prophets, lead- 
ing them to search diligently for the way of deliverance, and enabling 
them to " testify beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the 
glory that should follow." 

Then came the season of Actual War. " Messiah the Prince''' 
was born in Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddhng-bands, and laid in 
a manger. The Great Deliverer was " made of a woman, made 
under the law, to redeem those that were under the law, that we 
might receive the adoption of sons." With an almighty hand, 
he laid hold on the works of the devil, unlocked the iron furnace, 
and broke the brazen bands asunder. He opened his mouth, and 
the deaf heard, the blind saw, the dumb spake, the lame walked, 
and the lepers were cleansed. In the house of Jairus, in the street 
of Nain, and in the burial-ground of Bethany, his word was mightier 
than death ; and the damsel on her bed, the young man on his bier, 
and Lazarus in his tomb, rising to second life, were but the earnests 
of his future triumph. The diseases of sin he healed, the iron 
chains of guilt he shattered, and all the horrible caves of human 



•THE TIME OF REFORMATION.. 83 

corruption and misery were opened by the Heavenly Warrior. He 
took our yoke, and bore it away upon his own shoulder, and cast 
it broken into the bottomless pit. He felt in his hands and his feet 
the nails, and in his side the spear. The iron entered into his soul, 
but the corrosive power of his blood destroyed it, and shall ulti- 
mately eat away all the iron in the kingdom of death. Behold him 
hanging- on Calvary, nailing upon his cross three bills; the hand- 
writing of the law which was against us, the oath of our allegiance 
to the prince of darkness, and the charter of the '^ everlasting 
covenant ;" fulfilling the first, breaking the second, and sealing the 
third with his blood ! 

Now begins the scene of Victory and Triumph. On the morning 
of the third day, -the Conqueror is seen *' coming from Edom, with 
dyed garments from Bozrah." He has "trodden the wine-press 
alone." By the might of his single arm, he has routed the hosts of 
hell, and spoiled the dominions of death* The iron castle of the 
foe is demolished, and the hero returns from the war, " glorious in 
his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength." He enters 
the gates of the everlasting city, amid the rejoicing of angels, and 
'the shouts of his redeemed. And still he rides forth in the chariot 
of his grace, " conquering, and to conquer." A two-edged sword 
issues from his mouth, and in his train follow the victorious armies 
of heaven. Lo ! before him fall the altars of idols, and the temples 
of devils ; and the slaves of sin are becoming the servants and sons 
of the living God ; and the proud skeptic beholds, wonders, 
believes, and adores ; and the blasphemer begins to pray, and the 
persecutor is melted into penitence and love, and the wolf comes 
and lays him down gently by the ^ide of the lamb. And Messiah 
shall never quit the field, till he has completed the conquest, and 
swallowed up death in victory. In. his " vesture dipped in blood," 
he shall pursue the armies of Gog and Magog on the field of 
Armageddon, and break the iron teeth of the beast of power, and 
cast down Babylon as a millstone into the sea, and bind the old 
serpent in the lake of fire and brimstone, and raise up to life 
immortal the tenants of the grave. Then shall the New Jerusa- 
iem, the metropolis of Messiah's golden empire, descend from hea- 
ven, adorned with all the jewelry of creation, guarded at every 
gate by angelic sentinels, and enlightened by the glory of God and 



M THE TIME OF REFORMATION. 

of the Lamb ; and the faithful shall dwell within its walls, and sin, 
and sorrow, and death, shall be shut out for ever ! 

Then shall time be swallowed up in eternity. The righteous 
-shall inheTit life everlasting,- and 4;he. ungodly shall find their portion 
in the second detath. Time is the age of the visible world ; eternity 
is the age of the invisible God. All things in time are changeful ; 
all things in eternity are immutable. If you pass from time to 
eternity, without faith in Christ, without love to God, an enemy to 
prayer, an enemy to holiness, " unpurged and unforgiven," so 
you must ever remain. Now is the season of that blessed change, 
for which myriads shall sing everlasting anthems of praise. " To- 
day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.'.' To-day 
the office is open ; if you have any business with the Goverjior, 
make no delay. Now he has time to talk with the woman of 
Samari-a-by the well, and the penitent thief upon the cross. Now 
he is ready to forgive your sing, -and renew your souls, and m^ke 
you meet to become partakers of the inheritance of the saints in 
light. Now he waits to wash the filthy, and feed the hungry, and 
clothe \he naked, and raise the humble, and quicken the spiritually 
dead, and enrich the .poor and \\n:etched, arid 'reconcile enemies by 
his 'blood. He came to unloose your bands, and open to you the 
gates of Eden ; condemned for your acquittal, and slain for the 
recovery of your forfeited immortality. The design of all the 
traveling from heaven to earth, and from earth to heaven, is the 
salvation of that which was lost, the restoration of intercourse and 
amity between the Maker and the worm. This is the chief of the 
ways of God to man, ancient in its origin, wise in its contrivance, 
dear in its accomplishment,- powerful in its application, gracious in 
its influence, and everlasting in its results. Christ is riding in his 
chariot of salvation, through the land of destruction and death, 
clothed in the majesty of mercy, and ofTering eternal life to all who 
will believe^ captives of evil ! now is the accepted.time ; now 
is the day of salvation ; now is the year of jubilee ; now is the age 
of deliverance ; now is " the time of reformation !" 

II. All the prophets speak of something within the veil, to be 
manifested in due time ; the advent of a Divine agent in a future 
age, to accomplish a glorious "reformation." They represent him 
us a prince; a hero ; a high-priest ; a- branch growing out of dry 
ground ; a child toying with the asp and the lion, and leading the 



THE TIME OF REFORMATION. 85 

wolf and the lamb together. The bill of the reformation had been 
repeatedly read by the prophets, but its passage required the descent 
of the Lord from heaven. None but himself could effect the change 
of the dispensation. None but himself had the authority and the 
power to remove the first, and establish the second. He whose 
voice once shook the earth, speaks again, and heaven is shaken. 
'He whose footsteps once kindled Sinai into flame, descends again, 
*and Calvary is red with blood. The God of the ancient covenant 
introduces a new, which is to abide for ever. The Lord of the 
temple alone could change the" furniture and the service from the 
original pattern shown to Moses in the mount ; and six days before 
the rending of the veil, significant of the abrogation of the old cere- 
monial, Moses came down upon a mountain in Palestine to deliver 
up the pattern to him of whom he had received it on Sinai, that he 
might nail it to his cross on Calvary; for the " gifts and sacrifices" 
belonging to the legal dispensation " could not make him that did 
the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience ; which stood 
only in meats, and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordi- 
nances, imposed on them until the time of reformation." 

•This reformation signifieth " the removal of those things that are 
shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot 
be shaken may remain ;" the abrogation of " carnal ordinances," 
which were local and temporal in their nature, to make room for a 
spiritual worship, of universal and perpetual adaptation. Henceforth 
the blood of bulls and goats is superseded by the great reconciling 
sacrifice of the Lamb of God, and outward forms and ceremonies 
give place to the inward operations of a renovating and purifying 
Spirit. 

To the Jewish church, the covenant of Sinai was a sort of starry 
heaven. The Shekinah was its sun; the holy festivals, its moon; 
and prophets, priests, and kings, its stars. But Messiah, when he 
came, shook them all from their spheres, and filled the firmament 
himself. He is our "Bright and Morning Star;" the "Sun of 
Righteousness," rising upon us " with healing in his wings." 

The old covenant was an accuser and a judge, but offered no 
pardon to' the guilty. It revealed the corruption of the natural 
heart, but provided no renovating and sanctifying grace. It was a 
national institution, for the special bemefit of the seed of Abraham. 
It was a small vessel, trading only with the land of Canaan. It 

H 



86 THE TIME OF REFORMATION. 

secured to a few the temporal blessings of the promised possession ; 
but never delivered a single soul from eternal death ; never bore a 
single soul over to the heavenly inheritance. But the new cove- 
nant is a covenant of grace and mercy, proffering forgiveness and a 
clean heart, not on the ground of any carnal relationship, but solely 
through faith in Jesus Christ. Christianity is a personal concern 
between each man and his God, and none but the penitent believer 
has any right to its spiritual privileges. It is adapted to Gentiles 
as well as Jews, " even as many as the Lord our God shall call." 
Already has it rescued myriads' from the bondage of sin, and con- 
veyed them over to the land of immortality ; and its voyages of 
grace shall continue to the end of time, " bringing many sons to 
glory." . • • ' 

" Old things are passed away, and all things are become new." 
The circumcision of the flesh, made with hands, has given place to 
the circumcision of the heart by the Holy Ghost. The Shekinah 
has departed from Mount Zion, but its glory is illuminating the 
world. The sword of Joshua is returned to its scabbard; and 
" the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," issues from 
the mouth of Messiah, and subdues the people under. him. The 
glorious High-priesthood of Christ has superseded the sacerdotal 
office among men. Aaron was removed from the altar by death 
before his work was finished ; but our High-priest still wears his 
sacrificial vestments, and death has established him before the 
mercy-seat, "a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec." 
The earthquake which shook mount Calvary, and rent the veil of 
the temple, demolished " the middle wall of partition" between 
Jews and Gentiles. The incense which Jesus offered fills the 
temple, and the land of Jude.a cannot confine its fragrance. The 
fountain which burst forth in Jerusalem, has sent out its living 
streams into every land ; and the heat of summer cannot dry them 
up, nor the frosts of winter congeal-. 

In short, all the vessels of the sanctuary are taken away by the 
Lord of the temple. Th,e ** twelve oxen," bearing the " molten 
sea," have given place to "the twelve apostles of the Lamb," 
proclaiming " the washing of regeneration and renewing of the 
Holy Ghost." . The sprinkled mercy-seat, with its overshadowing 
and intensely-gazing cherubim, has given place to " the throne of 
grace," stained with the blood of a costlier sacrifice, into which 



THE TIME OF REFORMATION. 87 

the angels desire to look. The priest, the altar, the burnt-offering, 
the table of shew-bread, and the golden candlestick, have given 
place to the better things of the new dispensation introduced by the 
Son of God, of which they were only the figures and the types. 
Behold, the glory is gone up from the temple, and rests upon Jesus 
on mount Tabor ; and Moses and Elias are there, with Peter, and 
James, and John ; and the representatives of. the old covenant are 
communing with the apostles of the new, and the transfigured Christ 
is the medium of the communication ; and a voice of majestic music, 
issuing from "the excellent glory," .proclaims — "This is my 
beloved Son ; hear ye him !" 

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake unto 
our fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us 
by his Son." Behold him nailed to the cross, .and hear him cry — 
" It is finished !" The voice which shook Sinai is shaking Calvary. 
Heaven and hell are in conflict, and earth trembles at the shock of 
battle. The Prince of Life expires, and the sun puts on his robes 
of mourning. Gabriel ! descend from heaven, and explain to us 
the wondrous emblem ! As set the sun at noon on Golgotha, 
making preternatural night throughout the land of Palestine ; so 
shall the empire of sin and death be darkened, and their light shall 
be quenched at meridian. As the Sun of Righteousness, rising 
from the night of the grave on the third morning, brings life and 
immortality to light ; so shall " the day-spring from on high" yet 
dawn upon our gloomy vale, and " the power of his resurrection" 
shall reanimate the dust of every cemetery ! 

He that sitteth upon the throne hath spoken — " Behold, I make 
all things new !" The reformation includes not only the abrogation 
of the old, but also the introduction of the new. It gives us a new 
Mediator, a new covenant of grace, a new way of salvation, a new 
heart of flesh, a new heaven and a new earth. ■ It has established a 
new union, by a new medium, between God and man. " The 
Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his 
glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace 
and truth." " Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh 
and bloodj he also himself likewise took part of the same." " God 
was manifest in the flesh,- justified in the spirit, seen of angels, 
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up 
into glory." Here was a new thing under the sun ; the " Son of 



88 THE TIME OF REFORMATION. 

man" bearing the " express image" of the living God ; bearing it 
untarnished through the world ; through the temptations and sorrows 
of such a wilderness as -humanity never trod before ; through the 
unknown agony of Olivet, and the supernatural gloom of Golgotha, 
and the dark dominion of the king of terrors ; to the heaven of 
Leavens ; where he sits, the adorable representative of two worlds, 
the union of God and man ! Thence he sends forth the Holy Spirit, 
to collect " the travail of his soul," and lead them into all truth, 
and bring them to Zion with songs of everlasting joy. See them, 
the redeemed of the Lord, flocking, as returning doves upon the 
wing, "to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God; 
and to the spirits of just men made perfect; and to an innumerable 
company of angels ; and to Jesus, the Mediator of the new cove-, 
nant ; and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things 
than that of Abel!" 

O,. join the joyful multitude! The year of jubilee is come. The 
veil is rent asunder. The way into the holiest is laid open. The 
blood of Jesus is on the mercy-seat. The Lamb newly slain is in 
the midst of the throne. Go ye with boldness into his gracious 
presence. Lo, the King, is your brother, and for you has he stained 
his robe with blood ! That robe alone can clothe your naked souls, 
and shield them in the day of burning. Awake ! awake ! put on 
the Lord Jesus Christ! Th-e covenant of Sinai cannot save you 
from wrath. Descent from Abraham cannot entitle you to the 
kingdom of heaven. " Ye must be born again ;" " born, not 'of 
the flesh, nor of the will of men, but of God." You must have a 
new heart, and become a new creation in Christ Jesus. This is the 
promise of the Father. 

« This is. the "dear redeeming grace, 
For every sinner free !" 

Many reformations have expired with the reformers. But our 
Great Reformer " ever liveth" to carry on his reformation, till his 
enemies become his footstool, and death and hell are cast into the 
•lake of fire. He will finish the building of his church. When he 
laid the " chief corner-stone" on Calvary, the shock jarred the 
earth, and awoke the dead, and shook the nether world with 
terror ; bu.t when he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings 
of "grace!". the dominion of Death and Hades shall perish, ana 
the last captive shall escape, and the song of the bursting sepulchre 



THE TIME OF REFORMATION. 89 

shall be sweeter than the chorus of the morning stars ! Even now, 
there are new things in heaven ; the. Lamb from the slaughter, alive 
''in the midst of the throne;" worshipped by innumerable sera- 
phim and cherubim, and adored by the redeemed from earth; his 
name the wonder of angels, the terror of devils, and the hope of 
men; his praise ihe "new song," which shall (constitute the 
employment of eternity ! » • • • , 



i 



12 h2 



SERMON 11. 

THE TRIUMPH OF CALVARY 



" Who is this that cometh from Edom^ with dyed garments from Bo zr ah? this 
that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength ? I that 
speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, 
. and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat ? I have trodden the 
winepress alone ,• and of the people there was none with me <• for I will tread them 
in mine anger, and trample them in my fury ,• and their blood shall be sprinkled 
upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance 
is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there 
ivas none to help ,• and I wondered that' there was none to uphold .- therefore mine 
own arm brought salvation unto me .• and my fury, it upheld me. And I will 
tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and 1 
will basing down their strength to the earth.'''' — Isaiali Ixiii. 1 — 6. 

This passage is one of the subliniest in the Bible. Not more 
majestic and overwhelming is the voice of God issuing -from tiie 
burning bush. It represents " the Captain of our salvation," left 
alone in the heat of battle, marching victoriously through the broken 
columns of the foe, bursting the bars asunder, bearing away the 
brazen gates, and delivering by conquest the captives of sin and 
death. Let us first determine the events to which our text relates, 
and then briefly explain the questions and answers which it contains, 

I. We have here a wonderful victory, obtained by Christ, in the 
city of Bozrah, in the land of Edom. Our first inquiry concerns the 
time and the place of that achievement. 

Some of the prophecies are literal, and others are figurative. 
S<3me of them are already fulfilled, and others are in daily process 
o: fulfilment. Respecting this prophecy, divines disagree. Some 
think it is a description of Christ's conflict and victory, without the 
gates of Jerusalem, eighteen centuries ago ; and others understand 
it as referring to the great battle of Armageddon, predicted in. the 
Apocalypse, and yet to be consummated before the end of the world. 
. I am not willing to pass by mount Calvary, and Josei:>h's new 
tomb, on my way to the field of Armageddon ; nor am I willing to 
90 



THE TRIUMPH OF CALVARY. 91 

pause at the scene of the crucifixion, and the ascension, ^^lthollt 
going farther on to the final conquest of the foe. I believe Divine 
inspiration has included both events in the text ; the victory already 
won on Calvary, and the victory yet to be accomplished in Arma- 
geddon ; the finished victory of Messiah's passion, and the progres- 
sive victory of his gospel and his grace. 

The chief difficulty, in understanding some parts of the word of 
God, arises from untranslated words; many of which are found in 
our Dwn version, as well as in that of our English neighbors. For 
instance — in Mat. ii. 23, it is said, " He came and dwelt in a city 
called Nazareth, ''that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the 
prophet. He shall be called a Nazarene." Where in the prophets 
is it predicted that Christ shall be called a Nazarene ? Nowhere. 
^Vhen the proper names are translated, the difficulty vanishes. 
'' He came and dwelt in a city called -plantation^ that it might be 
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, He shall be called the 
'-Branchy This name is given him by Isaiah,- Jeremiah, and 
Zechariah. Now this is precisely the difficulty that occurs in our 
text, and the translation of the terms unties the knot : — " Who is 
this that Cometh from Edom," red earth — " with dyed garments 
from Bozrah , " ' trihvilation ? 

The former part of the text has reference to the victory of 
Calvary ; the latter part anticipates the battle and triumph of 
Armageddon, mentioned in Rev. xvi. 16, The victory of Calvary 
is consummated on the morning of the third day after the crucifix- 
ion. The Conqueror comes up from the earth, exclaiming: — '^I 
have trodden the mnepress alone on Calvary; and I will tread 
them in mine anger, and make them drunkdn my fury, at the battle 
of Armageddon. I will, overtake and destroy the beast, and the 
false prophet, and that old. serpent the devil, with all their hosts." 

When the tide of battle turned, on the field of Waterloo, the 
Duke of Wellington mounted his horse, and pursued the van- 
quished foe. So Isaiah's Conqueror, having routed the powers of 
hell on Calvary., pursues and destroys them on the field of Arma- 
geddon. Here -he is represented as a h^o on foot, a prince with- 
out an army ; but John, the revelator, saw him ridmg on a white 
horse, and followed by the armies of heaven, all on white horses, 
and not a footman among them. 

The victory of Calvary is like the blood of atonement in the 



92. THE TRIUMPH OF CALVARY. 

sanctuary. The chembhn were some of them looking one "way, 
and some the other, but all were looldng on the atoning blood. 
Thus all the great events of time — all the trials and triumphs of 
God's people — those which happened before, those which have 
happened since, and those which are yet to happen, are all looking 
toward the wrestling of Gethsemene, the conflict of Golgotha, and 
the triumph of Olivet. The escape from Egypt, and the return 
from Babylon, looked forward to the cross of Christ ; and the faith 
of the perfect man of Uz hung on a risen Redeemer. The Chris- 
tian martyrs overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and all their 
victories were in yirtue of one great achievement. 'The tomb of 
Jesus is the birthplace of his people's immortality, and the power 
which raised him from the dead shall open the sepulchres of all his 
saints. '' Thy dead men shall live ; .together with my dead body 
shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust ; for 
thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth her 

dead.'^ ' ■ • * . 

* 

Christ offered himseW a sacrifice for us, and drank the cup of 
God's righteous indignation in our stead. He was trodden by 
Almighty justice, as a cluster of grapes, in* the winepress of the 
law, till the vessels of mercy overflowed with the wine of peace 
and pardon, which has made thousands of contrite and humble 
spirits "rejoice with-joy unspeakable and full of glory." He suf- 
fered for us, that ,we might triumph with him. But our text 
describes him as a king and a conqueror. He was, at once, the 
dying victim and the immortal victor. In "the power of an end- 
less life," he was standing by the altar, when the sacrifice was 
burning. He was alive in his sacerdotal vestments, with his golden 
censer in his hand. He was alive in his kingly glory,; with his 
sword and his sceptre in his hand. He was alive in his conquer- 
ing prowess, and had made an end of sin, and bruised the head of 
the serpent, and spoiled the pi'incipalities and powers of hell, and 
turned the vanquished hosts of the prince of darkness down to the 
winepress of the wrath of Almighty God. Then, on the morning 
of the third day, when he arose from the dead, and made a show 
of them openly^-then began the year of jubilee with power ! 

After the prophets of ancient times had long gazed through the 
mists of futurity, at the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should 
follow, a company of them were gathered together on the summit 



THE TRIUMPH OF CALVARY. §3 

of Calvary. They saw a host of enemies ascending the hill, arrayed 
for battle, and most terrific in their aspect. In tlie middle of the 
line was the law of God, fiery and exceeding broad, and working 
wrath. On the right wing, was Beelzebub with his troops of infer- 
nals ; and on the left Caiaphas with his Jewish priests, and Pilate 
with his Roman soldiers. The rear was brought up by Death, the 
jast enemy. When the holy seers had espied this army, and per- 
ceived that it was dra^^^ing nigh, they started back, and prepared 
for flight. As they looked round, they saw the Son of God advanc- 
ing with intrepid step, having his face fixed on the hostile band. 
'^ Seest thou the danger that is before thee," said one of the men 
of God. " I will tread them in mine anger," he replied, " and 
trample them in my fury." "Who art thou?" said the prophet ; 
He answered: " I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." 
"Wilt thou venture to the battle alone?" asked the seer. The 
Son of God replied : "I looked, and tliere was none to help ; and 
I wondered there was none to uphold ; therefore mine own arm 
shall bring .salvation unto me ; and my fury it shall uphold me." 
"At what point wilt thou commence thy attack?" inquired the 
anxious prophet. " I will first meet the Law," he replied, "and 
pass under its curse : for lo ! I come to do thy will, God. 
When I shall have succeeded at the centre of the Ime, the colors 
mil turn in my favor." So saying he moved forward. Instantly 
the thunderings of Sinai were heard, and the whole band of pro- 
phets quaked with terror. But he .advanced, undaunted, amidst 
the gleaming lightnings. For a moment he was concealed from 
view ; and the banner of wrath waved above in triumph. Sud- 
denly the scene was changed. A stream of blood poured forth 
from his wounded side, and put out all the fires of Sinai. The flag 
of peace was now seen unfurled, and consternation filled the ranks 
of his foes. He then crushed, with his bruised heel, the old ser- 
pent's head ; and put all the infernal powers to flight. With his 
iron rod he dashed to pieces'the enemies on the left wing, like a 
potter's vessel. Death still remained, who thought himself invinci- 
ble, having hitherto triumphed over all. He came forward, brand- 
ishing his sting, which he had whetted on Sinai's tables of stone. 
He darted it at the Conqueror, but it turned down, and hung like 
the flexible lash of a whip. Dismayed, he retreated to the grave, 
his palace, into which the Conqueror pursued. In a dark corner of 



94 THE TRIUMPH OF CALVARY. 

his den, he sat on his throne of moldering skulls, and called upon 
the worms, his hitherto faithful allies, to aid him in the conflict ; but 
they replied — " His flesh shall see no corruption!" The scepter 
fell from his hand. The Conqueror seized him* bound him, and 
condemned him to the lake of fire ; and then rose from the grave, 
followed by a band of released captives, who came forth after his 
resurrection to be witnesses of the victory which he had won.* 

John in the Apocalypse did not look so far back as the treading 
of this winepress ; but John saw him on his white horse, decked 
with his many crowns, his eyes like flames of fire, a two-edged 
sword in his hand, in the van of the armies of heaven, going forth- 
conquering aifd> to conquer. This is the fulfilment of his declaration 
in our text : — " For I will tread them in mine anger, and trample 
them in my fury." This is the beginning of the jubilee, the battle of 
Armageddon, wherein all heathen idolatry and superstition shall be 
overthrown, and the beast and the false prophet shall be discomfited, 
and the devil and his legions shall be taken prisoners by Emmanuel, 
and shut up in the bottomless pit. He who hath conquered princi- 
palities and powers on Calvary, will not leave the field, till he 
make all his enemies his footstool, and sway his scepter over a 
subject universe. Having sent forth the gospel from Jerusalem, he 
accompanies it with the grace of his Holy Spirit ; and it shall not 
return unto him void, but shall accomplish that which he pleaseth, 
and prosper in the thing whereto he hath sent it. 

The victory of Armageddon is obtained by virtue of the victory 
of Calvary. It is but the consummation of the same' glorious 
campaign ; and the first decisive blow dealt on the prince of dark- 
ness is a sure precursor of the final conquest. '^ I will meet thee 
again at Philippi!" said the ghost of Julius Caesar to Brutus. " I 
will meet thee again at Armageddon!" saith the Son of God to 
Satan on Calvary — " I will meet thee in the engagement between 
good and evil, grace and depravity, in every believer's heart; in 
the contest of Divine Truth with human errors, of the religion of 
God with the superstitions of men ; • in every sermon, every revival, 
every missionary enterprise ; in the spread and glory of the gosp'el 



* This paragraph is one of the celebrated " Specimens of Welsh Preach- 
mg ," printed in England some years before the publication of any of these 
sermons. We give the first English version verbatim. Ed. 



THE TRIUMPH OF CALVARY. 95 

in the latter day, I will meet thee ; and the heel which thou hast 
now bruised,. shall crush thy head for ever!" 

Man's deliverance is of God. Man had neither the inclination 
nor the power. His salvation originated in the Divine Love, and 
burst forth Hke an ocean from the fountains of eternity. Satan, as 
a ravenous lion, had taken the prey, and was running to his den 
with the bleeding sheep in his mouth ; but the Shepherd of Israel 
pursues him, overtakes him, and rends him as if he were a kid. 
The declaration of war was made in Eden : — " I will put enmity 
between thee and the w^oman, and between thy seed and her seed ; 
thau shalt bruise his heel, and he shall bruise thy head." It shall 
be fulfilled. The league with hell, and the covenant with death 
shall not stand. The rebellion shall be quelled, the conspiracy 
shall be broken, and the strong man armed shall yield the citadel 
to a stronger. The works of the. devil shall be destroyed, and the 
prey shall be taken from the teeth of the terrible. The house of 
David shall grow stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul shall 
grow weaker and weaker, till- the kingdoms of this world shall become 
the kingdom of our God and of his Christ, and Satan shall be 
bound in chains of darkness, and cast- into the lake of fire. All 
the enemies of Zion shall be vanquished, and the forfeited favor of 
God shall be recovered, and the lost territory of peace and holiness 
aud immortality shall be restored to man. 

This campaign is carried on at the expense of the government 
of heaven. The .treasury is inexhaustible ; the arms are irresisti- 
ble ; therefore the victory is sure. The x^lmighty King has de- 
scended ; he has taken the city of Bozrah ; he has swayed his 
scepter over Edom ; he has risen victoriously, and gone up with a 
shout, as the leader of all the army. This is but the pled'^je and 
the earnest of his future achievements. In the battle of 4.rmaged- 
don, he shall go forth as a mighty man ; he shall stir \ip jealousy as 
a man of war ; and he shall prevail against Vis enemies. They 
shall be turned back — they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in 
graven images — that say unto molten images, "Ye are cur gods!" 
Then he will open the blind eyes, and bring the prisoners from the 
prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. He 
will make bare his holy arm — he will show the sw^ord in that hand 
which was hidden under the scarlet robe — he. will manifest his 
power in the destruction of his enemies, and the salvation of his 



96 THE TRIUMPH OF CALVARY. 

people. As eertainly as he hath shed his blood on Calvary, shall 
he stain all his raiment with the blood of his foes on the field of 
Armageddon. As certainly as he hath--drained the cup of wrath, 
and received the baptism of suffering, on Calvary, shall he wield 
the iron rod of justice, and sway the golden sceptre of mercy, on 
the field of Armageddon. Already the sword is drawn, and the 
decisive blow is struck, and the helmet of Apollyon is cleft, and the 
bonds of iniquity are cut asunder. Already the fire is kindled, and 
all the powers of hell cannot quench it.. It has fallen from heaven ; 
it is consuming the camp of the foe ; it is inflaming the hearts of 
men; it is renovating the earth, and purging away the curse. 
'' The bright and Morning Star" has risen on Calvary; and soon 
" the Son of Righteousness" shall shine on the field of Armaged- 
don ; and the darkness that covers the earth, and the gross darkness 
that covers the people, shall melt away ; and Mohammedism, and 
Paganism, and Popery, with their prince, the devil, shall seek 
shelter in the bottomless pit ! 

After a battle, we are anxious to learn who is dead, who is 
wounded, and who is missing from the ranks. In the engagement 
of Messiah vnth Satan and his allies on Calvary, Messiah's heel was 
bruised, but Satan and his allies received a mortal wound in the 
head. The head denotes wisdom, cunning, power, government. 
The devil, sin, and death have lost their dominion over the believer 
in Christ, since the achievement of Calvary. There is. now no con- 
demnation, no fear of hell. But the serpent, though his head, is 
bruised, may be able to move his tail, and alarm those of little 
faith. Yet it cannot last long. The wound is mortal, and the 
triumph is sure. On Calvary the dragon's head was crushed by 
the Caotain of our salvation ; after the battle of Armageddon, his 
tail shall shake no more ! 

There is i.o discharge in this war. He that enlisteth under the 
banner of the cross must endure faithful until death — must not lay 
aside his arms till death is swallowed up in victory. Then shall 
every conqueror bear the image of the heavenly, and wear the 
crown instead of the cross, and carry the palm instead of the spear. 
Let us be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, that 
we may be able to stand in the evil day ; and after all the war is 
over, to stand accepted in the Beloved, that we may reign with him 
for ever and ever ! • 



THE TRIUMPH OF CALVARY. 97 

■.II. It T-eraains for -us to. explain, very briefly, the glorious colo- 
quy in the text^rthe interrogatives of the church, and the answers 
of Messiah, 

• Hbw great was the woncler and joy of Mary, wh'eHshe -met the 
Master, at the tomb, cl'othed in in¥niortality,'\vher€' she thought to 
find "him- shrouded in death!' "How unspeakable was the astonish- 
ment^and rapture of the disciples, when' their Lord;,.\vhom they had 
s« .recently "buried, .came into the house where they were assembled, 
and. said-^" Peace be atnto youP' Such are the feelings which the 
churdi- is.- represented as. expressing in this sublime cojloquy .with 
the Captain ':Gf. her' salfation;- He' has trayelled into tire land of 
fribttlatioiS ;. he has gone down to tbe dust- of deatb; but lo, he 
return^ a conqueror, the' golden sceptre of love in his left hand, the 
iix)n rod -.of justice in his right, and on his head a- crown of- many 
stars. . The church beholds him with great amazement and delight. 
She latefy foilo^yed him, weeping, to the cross, and mourned over 
his body. in the toinb ; but nOw she beholds liim risen indeed, hav- 
ing destroyed death, and him tjiat had the power of death — that is, 
•the -devil,;, ."She goes forth to • meet himr with scrngs of rejoicing, as 
the daughters "of Israel went out to weTcome David, when he 
returned from the valley, with the head of the giant in his hand, 
and. the blood running down upon ^his raiment. The choir of the 
church is divided into two bands ; which chant to each other in 
alternate strains. The right hand division begins the glorious 
colloquy—" Who is this that cometh from Edom r^ and the left 
takes up' the interrogative, and repeats it Avith a variation — "with 
dyed garme.nts from Bozrah.'"' "This that is glorious in his 
apparel*?" resumes the right-iia«id -company— " glorious notwitli- 
standing the tribulations he hath endured.^" "Travelling in the 
greatness of his strength.^" responds the left — "strength sufficient 
to unbar the gates of the' grave,- and.Iiberate the captives of corrup- 
tion?"- The celestial Conqueror' pauses, and casts upon the com- 
pany of the daughters of Zion a Ipok of infinite benignity ; and with 
a voice of angel melodyyand more than angel majesty, he replies^— 
"■I that speak in righteou-sness, mighty 't© save*!" ""Now bursts the 
song again, like the. sound of many waters, from the right — 
" Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel ?" and the response rolls 
back in melodized thunder from the left — " And thy garments like 
him that treadeth in the wine-.^at ?" The Divine hero answers : — 
13 I 



98! THE TRIUMPH OF CALVAKY. 

*' I have trodden the wine-press alone ; and of the people there was 
none with me. Even Peter has left me, with all his courage and- 
affection ; and as for John, to talk of love is all that he can do. I 
have triumphed over principalities and powers. I am wounded, but 
they are vanquished. Behold the blood which I have lost ! behold 
the spoils which I have won! Now will I mount" my .white horse, . 
and pursue after Satan, and demolish his kingdom, and send him 
back to the land, of darkness in everlasting chains, and all his allies 
shall be exiles with him for ever. My own arm, which has gained 
the vict-ory on Calvary, and brought salvation to all my people 
from the sepulchre, is still strong enough to wield the golden 
sceptre of love, and break my foes on the field of Armageddon. I 
will destroy the works of the devil, and demolish all his hosts ; I 
will dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. For the day of 
vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. 
My compassion is stirred for the; captives of sin and death ; my 
fury is kindled against, the tyrants that oppress them. It is ti^ne 
for me to open the prisons, and break off the fetters.' I must gather 
my people to myself. I must seek that which was lost, and bring 
again that which was driven away. I must bind up that which was 
broken, and strengthen that which was weak ; ,but I will destroy the 
fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment ; I will tread 
them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and bring down 
their strength to the earth, and stain all my raiment with their 
blood!" 

Let us flee from the wrath to come! Behold, the sun is risen 
high on the day of vengeance ! Let us not be found among the 
enemies of Messiah, lest we fall a sacrifice to his righteous indigna- 
tion on the field of Armageddon ! Let us escape for our .lives, for 
the fire-storm of his anger will burn to the lowest hell!. Let us 
pray for grace to lay hold on the salvation of his redeemed ! It is 
a free, full, perfect, glorious, and .eternal salvation. Return, ye 
ransomed exiles from happiness, return to your forfeited inherit- 
ance ! Now is the year af jubilee. Come to Jesus, that your 
debts may be cancelled, your sins forgiven, and your persons justi- 
fied ! Come, for the Conqueror of yoiu' foes is on the throne ! 
Come, for the trumpets of merry afe sounding! Come, for all 
things are now ready ! 



SERMON III, 

T.HE SMITTEN ROCK, 



"jPor they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was 
Christ:'—! Cor. x. 4. 

In this chapter the apostle solemnly cautions his brethren against 
.apostasy, and consequent shipwreck of their spiritual privileges. 
His admonitions are educed from important events in the history of 
the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to. the land of Canaan. 
He speaks of the march of the twelve tribes out of the scene of 
their bondage, under the uplifted banner of God; of their baptism 
unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, when Jehovah gloriously 
displayed his power in preserving their lives between the watery 
ramparts which shut them in like the solid walls of the sepulchre, 
while the cloud rested upon them through the deep night, like the 
marble covering of the tomb ; of their safe emerging on the other 
side of the flood, a type of the resurrection, leaving Pharaoh and 
his host to sleep in the waters till the morning of the last day, 
when they shall rise without their chariots arid their horses ; of their 
miraculous supply in the wilderness, with bread from heaven, and 
water from the smitten rock, which he calls spiritual meat and 
spiritual drink, because of their typical reference' to the sacrificial 
death of Christ, which is the. spiritual life of the world ; and of 
their subsequent ingratitude and forgetfulness of God, notwithstand- 
ing these great deliverances and mercies-, their murmurings, idola- 
=tries, fornications, and tempting of Christ, for which they were 
.destroyed by the plague, slain by fiery serpents, smitten by the 
angel of the Lord, and fell to the number of three and twenty 
thousand in one day. " Now all these things," he adds, "hap- 
pened unto them for ensamples, and are written for our admonition, 



100 THE SMITTEN ROCK. 

upon whom the ends of the world are come; wherefore, let him 
that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." Thus her opens 
the graves of ancient sinners, and brihgs ^before his brethren the 
carcases of those "who fell in the wilderness ;" bringg them into 
our solemn assemblies, and hangs them up over the pulpit, the 
baptistry, and the communion-table, terrible warnings against de- 
parting from the jiving God ; even as the censers of Korah, Dathan, 
and Abiram were beaten up, and made a covering for the altar, for 
a perpetual sign and memorial to Israel,, to. keep them from the sin 
of those .men, that they might not share their fate.' 

In speaking of the smitten rock, which the apostle authorizes us 
to regard as a type of Christ, we shall consider : — First, It-s smiting 
by Moses ; and Secondly, The consequent flowing' of the waters. 

I. The smitten rock was a type of Christ. Messiah is the 
" Rock of Ages" to his church.. He is the' foundation of her hope, 
sure and' steadfast, and her protection in times of danger and 'of 
dread. The armor" and the prowess of Egypt constituted no rock 
like this rock. Edom, and Moab, and Philistia, and the seven 
nations of Can-aan, had* their gods and their heroes ; but their rock 
was not able to shelter" thenl 'from: the wrath of Jehovah, 'when it 
came upon them like a tempest of hail! The gods that made not 
the heavens and the earth are' 'far ^flf in the day of trouble ; but the 
God of Israel is "nigh at hand," and his arm is strong to deliver. 
He is the rock that stood firm and immovable, for the defence of 
"his- people, amid the ragings of the Red Sea. Messiah is the man, 
w^ho is predicted as " a hiding-place from the wand, and a coveit 
from the tempest, and the shadow of a great rojck in a weary land." 
He can shield, not only from the scorching sun and the scathing 
simoom of the desert ; but also from the fiery torments of remorse, 
and the ruinous judgments of heaven. Our Lord is a rock, also, 
Qji account of the blessings which flow from him, for the refresh- 
ment of his Israel ; as " the droppings of honey from the rock ;" as 
" springs of water in a dry place ;" as " living streams in the' 
desert," and " rivers from the mountains of Lebanon." 

There are two accounts of the smiting of the rock; one in the 
seventeenth chapter of Exodus, and the other in the twentieth 
chapter of Numbers. From a comparison of these two accounts, 
it appears that the rock- was smitten at two different times ; the fifst, 
as is supposed, about a year after the egress frorn Egypt, and the 



THE SMITTEN ROCK. ' 101 

Other about a year before the entrance into Canaan ; making an 
intervening period of about thirty-eight years. The war with 
Amalek succeeded the first ; the embassy to Edom followed the 
second. At the first, Miriam was alive ; just before the second is 
the record of her death. 

It seems that the people murmured bitterly against Mosesj spoke 
of their superior fare in Egypt, and accused him of' bringing them 
out into the wilderness to kill them with thirst. This is ever the 
spirit of backsliding. Those who are under its influence are apt 
to complain of the burdens imposed upon them by their religion, 
atrd the injuries occasioned to them by their brethren ; and to speak 
uncharitably of their spiritual leaders, instead of crying to God for 
help. To ask, " Is the Lord .among us ?" when his word and- his 
works, indicating either his pleasure or his displeasure, testify that 
he is, is tempting God, with a dreadful presumption. 

It does not appear that Mo^es sinned the first time he smote the 
rock ; but the second time, the servant of God was evidently off 
his guard, and the meekest of men " spake unadvisedly with his 
lips.;" on account of which,.both he and Aaron were shut out of 
the promised land.' His sin consisted in entering into a quarrel 
with the people, instead of asking God for water to quench their 
thirst. It appears that their chidings bad provoked him to anger, 
and .he had lost the spirit of sympathy for their sufferings, and his 
hard feelings stood like a thick wall between him and the miracle 
which God was about to work for his own glory and his people's 
relief. Neither did he as God commanded him ; for instead of 
simply speaking to the rock, as he was bidden, he smote it twice, 
with evident agitation of mind ; and at the same time, bitterly re- 
proached the people with their rebellion. 

Every miinister of the gospel is a ""drawer of water," to his con- 
gregation, from the •" Spiritual Rock" which follows the church. 
He must be clothed with meekness from Heaven, or the provoca- 
tions of the people will be apt to embitter his spirit. God would 
have us minister mercy ,^. in the spirit of his own mercy. "The 
servant of God must not strive, but be gentle toward all men; in 
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if, perad venture, 
God would grant them repentance unto the acknowledging of the 
truth : and that they might recover themselves out of the snare of 
the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." 

1.2 



102 THE SMITTEN ROCK. 

The smiting of the rock was intended to open it, that the water 
might flow. This prefigured the smiting of Christ, "the Rock of 
Ages," and " the Shepherd of the sheep." The shedding of the 
blood of lambs, and goats, and calves, and bullocks, for the space 
of four thousand years, faintly shadowed forth the sacrificial passion 
of our blessed Lord. Their groans and struggles under the slaugh- 
tering knife ; the sound of the blood, falling into the golden basins, 
and poured into the flames upon tLe altar ; the noise occasioned in 
cutting up the victim, and piling the pieces upon the fire ; and the 
smoke and vapor ascending from the consuming sacrifice to heaven ; 
all, all, in their own way, foreshadowed the necessity of mangling 
the body and shedding the blood of Messiah, that pardoning mercy 
might have an open way to flow to sinners, like the water from the 
smitten rock ; and the agonies of those slaughtered victims were an 
imperfect type of the agonies of the soul of Jesus, in the garden 
and on' the cross> 

The smiting of a flinty rock, for the purpose of obtaining \\>-a:ter, 
was a scheme of the Divine Mind, whose ways are higher than our 
ways, and his thoughts than our thoughts. It was certainly the last 
place to which Moses would have gone for water ; and he might 
have expected the stroke to elicit sparks of fire, ratjier than cool 
refreshing streams. What eye had not seen and ear had -not heard, 
either of men or of angels — what had not entered into the heart of 
any created being to conceive, terrestrial or celestial — was, that the 
smiting of the Shepherd should save the sheep ; that the cond-em- 
nation of the just should bring the unjust to God ; that the making 
of Messiah a curse should secure infinite blessings to mankind ; that 
the poverty of Jesus should enrich us, and his death raise us to 
life eternal. Consuming flames of Divine indignation might have 
been expected to flash upon the guilty world from every wound of 
the thorns, the nails and the spear, in the sacred person of Emman- 
uel ; but, to the astonishment of men and angels, a tide of love 
and mercy ran freely from every bleeding vein, to wash away the 
guilt and pollution of human crimes, according to the determinate 
counsel and immutable promise of our God. 

The rock must be smitten by a rod. Had Moses been left to 
choose his own instrument, he would probably have taken a ham- 
mer, or perhaps a lever ; but God commands him to take the rod. 
The rock would not have yielded water to any other -instrument 



THE SMITTEN ROCK. 103 

than the rod that smote the waters of Egypt, and turned them 
into blood. This rod was an emblem of the sovereignty of God 
over Israel, and is therefore called "the rod of God, which the 
Lord gave unto Moses"— -as his deputy governor — " to lead Israel, 
and to work miracles before their eyes." It was also a symbol ot 
the royal law of Heaven ; which, prior to the fall, was a rod of 
life ; but afterward became a rod of iron, to break in pieces the 
offender — an angry serpent, to sting the transgressor wdth dreadful 
torments; and finally,. when Christ endured the curse^and honored 
the violated mandate, by his death upon the tree, it was transformed 
again into a guiding and correcting rod. As the rock would have 
yielded water under no other stroke than that of " the rod of God," 
so the sufferings of Christ would have been ineffectual, had they 
not happened under the law of the Father, and according to the 
counsel of Infinite Wisdom. When Isaac was about to be offered 
up on mount Moriah, the wood, the fire, and the knife, must all 
come from his father's house, and the dreadful deed must be done 
by his father's hand.. So Jesus must die in no ordinary or acci- 
dental way. He must not suffer himself to be sJain by the sword 
of Herod, nor cast over the brow of the hill by the people. He 
must receive the mortal cup from no other hand than that of the 
Father. He must die the appointed death ; at the appointed time ; 
.in the appointed place, without the camp ; and in the appointed 
manner, by hanging on a tree. The wreath of thorns, the scarlet 
robe, the nails, the cross, the spear, and even the vinegar offered 
him in his agony, were all according to his Father's counsel. He 
knew the necessity, and- said—" Thy will be -done !" The Shep- 
herd of Israel would bow under no other stroke than that of the 
Lord of Hosts. A cradle, a cross,, and a grave, all of his Father's 
appointing, must Jesus have, in order to open a fountain of living 
water to the world. 

The rock must be smitten in a pubhc manner, in the sight of the 
sun, and before all the elders of Israel, that God might be sanctified 
in the eyes of his people. This was intended to foreshadow the 
publicity of the death of Christ, which took place during one of the 
great public festivals of the Jews, in the presence of nearly the 
whole nation, and on the hill Calvary ; and to denote the procla- 
mation of Christ crucified throughout the world, as the true propi- 
tiation and object of faith, to be looked upon by Jew^s and Gentiles, 



104 THE SMITTEN ROCK. 

to the softening of the heart, and the flowing of repentant tears, 
according to the prophecy — " They shall look on him whom they 
have pierced, and mourn for him, as one mourneth for an only 
son." The Spirit of grace directs the eyes of men to ih.e cross, 
upon which the prophet Isaiah, with transcendant suHimity of 
language, describes the Saviour as passing from Calvary to the 
grave, from the grave to the empyrean, and thence back again to 
earth, crying — " Look unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of 
the earth ; for I am God, and beside me there is no Savigr !" . 

The rock must be smitten in the presence of God. ^^ Behold, I 
will stand before thee there on the rock in Horeb." (Ex. xvii. 6.) 
He stood upon the rock in Horeb, though invisible, in the glory of 
his loving-kindness and his powder, to guide the hand of his servant 
Moses, and open a source of timely succour to his perishing people. 
But when the rod of the law smote the Rock of our sajvation, w^hen 
the curse fell upon the sinner's Substitute and Surety, then God stood 
forth before the world upon the rock of Calvary, amid the darkened 
heavens, the trembling earth, and the_ opening sepulchres, as if all 
the machinery of nature had been suddenly disordered and dis- 
organized — stood forth in the plenitude of his power, his wisdom, 
his justice, his mercy, and his truth, to prosper the worJi'of man's 
redemption, and open a channel through which the river of life- 
might flow out to a famishing race. On Calvary still he stands, 
with the cup of salvation in his hand, and streams of living water 
rolling at his feet, and cries — ^' Ho, every one that thirsteth, come 
ye to the w^aters!" 

According to the command of God, the rock was to be smitten 
but once. Once smitten, it needed only to be spoken to; and, 
though it was more than thirty years afterward, it would yield forth 
its water. But Moses, provoked to anger by the murmurings and 
complainings of the people, transcended the Divine injunction, and 
•though he had once smitten the rock, smote it again; yea, when he 
should have spoken to it only, smote it tw^ice with his rod. This 
was his sin, for which God w^ould not permit him to enter the pro- 
mised land. Christ has been once smitten, and wo to those wdio 
smite him again ! He has once offered himself a sacrifice, and 
once entered into the holy place, having finished his work of atone- 
ment, and made an end of sin, and superseded the sacrifices of the 
law. Henceforth, ye Jews, relinrpiish your .burnt-offerings, your 



THE SMITTEN ROCK. l05 

meat-offerings, your drink-offerings, your peace-offerings ; and trust 
no longer in beasts, and birds, and flour, and oil ; but in " the 
Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." Crucify 
him afresh no more, ye backsliders ; for ^' there remaineth no 
other sacrifice for sin!" Smite him not again, lest he swear unto 
you in his wrath, as unto Moses, that ye shall not enter into his rest! 

II. Having' spoken of the smiting, let us now look at the result, 
the flowing of the waters; a timely mercy to " the many thousands 
of Israel," on the point of perishing in the desert; shadowing forth 
a far greater mercy, the flowing of living waters from the " spiritual 
rock," which is Christ. 

In the death of our Redeemer, we see three infinite depths moved 
for the relief of human misery; the love of 'the Father, the merit of 
the Son, and the energy of the Holy Spirit. These are the depths 
of wonder whence arise the rivers of salvation. 

The waters flowed in the presence of the whole assembly. The 
agent was invisible-, but his work was manifest. * * 

The water flowed in great abundance, filling the whole camp, 
and supplying all the people.. Notwithstanding the immense num- 
ber, and the greatness of their thirst, there was enough for each and 
for all. The streams ran in every direction to meet the sufferers, 
and their rippling murmur seemed to say — ^" Open thy mouth, and 
I will fill it." Look to the cross! See there the gracious fountain 
opened, and streams of pardoning and purifying mercy flowing 
down the rock of Calvary, sweeping over the mount of Olives, 
and cleaving it asunder, to make a channel for the living waters to 
go out over the whole world, that God may be glorified among the 
Gentiles, and all the ends of the earth may see his salvation ! 

The water flowed from the rock, not pumped by human labor, 
but drawn by the hand of God. It was the same power, that 
opened the springs of mercy upon the cross. It was the wisdom 
of God that devised the plan, and the mercy of God that furnished 
the victim. His was the truth and love that gave the promise by 
the prophet^'' In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the 
house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and 
uncleanness." His was the unchanging faithfulness that fulfilled it 
in his Son — " Not by works of righteousness which we have done, 
but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regene- 
14 



i06 THE SMITTEN ROCK. 

ration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us 
abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Our salvation is 
wholly of God ; and we have no other agency in the matter, than 
the mere acceptance of his proffered grace. 

The water flowed in twelve different channels ; and, according to 
Dr. Pococke, of Scotland, who visited the place, the deep traces in 
the rock are visible to this day. But the twelve streams, one for 
each tribe, all issued from the same fountain, in the same rock. So 
the great salvation flowed out through the ministry of the twelve 
apostles of the Lamb, and went abroad ovej all the earth. But the 
fountain is one. All the apostles preached the same Savior, and 
pointed to the same cross. " Neither is there salvation in any other, 
for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, w^here- 
by we must be saved." We must come to this spring, or perish. 

The flowing of the waters was irresistible by human power. 
Who can close the fountain which God hath opened ? Can Edom, 
or Moab, or Sihon, or Og, dam up the current which Jehovah hath 
drawn from the rock ? Can Caiaphas, and all the Jews, aided by 
the Prince of this world — can all the powers of earth and hell com- 
bined — ^^arrest the work of redemption, and dry up the fountain of 
mercy that Christ is opening on Calvary ? As soon might they dry 
up the Atlantic, and stop the revolutions of the globe. It is writ- 
ten, and must be fulfilled. Christ must suffer, and enter into his 
glory — must be lifted up, and draw all men unto him — and repent- 
ance and remission of sins must be preached in his name among 
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 

The water flowing from the rock was like a river of life to the 
children of Israel. Who can describe the distress throughout the 
camp ; -and the appearance of the people, when they w^ere invited 
to approach a flinty rock, instead of a fountain or a stream, to 
quench their thirst ? What angry countenances were there, what 
bitter censures, and ungrateful murmurings, as Moses went up to 
the rock, with nothing in his hand but a rod! *^ Where is he 
going," said they, " with that dry stick? What is he going to do 
on that rock ? Does he mean to make fools of us all ? Is it not 
enough that he has brought us into this wilderness to die of thirst? 
Will he mock us now by pretending to seek water in these sands, 
or open fountains in the solid granite ?" But see ! he 4ifts the rod; 
he smites the rock ; and lo, it bursts into a fountain ; and twelve 



.THE SMITTEN ROCK. 107 

crystal streams roll down before the people! Who can conceive 
the sudden transport ? Hear the shout of joy ringing through the 
camp, and rolling back in ^ tumultuous echoes from the crags and 
cliffs of Horeb ! "Water! water! A miracle! a miracle! Glory 
to the God of Israel ! Glory to his servant Moses !" It was a 
resurrection day to Israel, the morning light bursting upon the 
shadow of death. New life and joy are seen throughout the camp. 
The maidens are running, with ciips and pitchers, to the rock. 
They fill and drink ; then fill again, and haste away to their respec- 
tive tents, with water for the sick, the aged, and the little ones, 
joyfully exclaiming — "Drink, father! Drink, mother! Drink, 
children ! Drink, all of you ! Drink abundantly ! Plenty of 
water now ! Rivers flowing from the rock !" Now the oxen are 
coming, the asses, the camels, the sheep, and the goats — coming in 
crowds to quench their thirst, and plunging into the streams before 
them. And the feathered tribes are coming, the turtle-dove, the 
pigeon, the swallow, the sparrow, the robin, and the wren ; while 
the croaking raven and the fierce-eyed eagle, scenting the water 
from afar, mingle with them around the rock. 

Brethren, this is but a faint emblem of the joy of the church, in 
drinking the w^aters that descend from Calvary, the streams that 
gladden the city of our God. Go back to the day of Pentecost for 
an instance. O what a revolution of thought, and feeling, and 
character! What a change of countenance, and conscience, and 
lieartt Three thousand men, that morning full of ignorance, and 
corruption, and guilt — idolaters, sensualists, blasphemers, perse- 
cutors — before night w^ere perfectly transformed — the lions con- 
verted into lambs — the hard heart melted, the dead conscience 
quickened, and the whole man become a new creature in Christ 
Jesus ! They thirsted, they found the " Spiritual rock," tasted its 
living waters, and suddenly leaped into new life, like Lazarus from 
the inanition of the grave ! 

This is the blessing which follows the church through all her 
wanderings in the wilderness ; accompanies her through the scorch- 
ing desert of affliction, and the valley of the shadow of death ; and 
when at last she shall come up out of great tribulation, her gar- 
ments shall be found washed and made white in the blood of the 
Lamb ; and the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall lead 
her to everlasting fountains, and she shall thirst no more ! 



SERMON IV. 

FALL AND RECOVERY OF MAN. 



'* For if^ through the o^ente of one^ many he dead ,- much more the grace of 
God, and the gift hy grace-, which is by one man^ Jesus Christ, hath abounded 
unto many^'^ — Rom» v. 13« \ 

Man was created in the image of God. Knowledge and perfect 
holiness were impressed upon the very nature and faculties of his 
soul. He had constant access to his Maker, and enjoyed free com- 
munion with him, on the ground of his spotless moral rectitude. 
But alas! the glorious diadem is broken; the crown of righteous- 
.ness is fallen. Man's purity is gone, and his happiness is forfeited. 
" There is none righteous ; no, not one." " All ha^e sinned, and 
come short of the glory of God." But the ruin is not hopeless. 
What was lost in Adam, is restored in Christ. His blood redeerns 
us from bondage^ and his gosp'el gives us back the forfeited inherit- 
ance. ^' For if, through the offence of one, many be dead ; much 
more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, 
Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many." Let us consider ;— First, 
The corruption and condemnation of man ; and Secondly, His gra- 
cious restoration, to the favor of his offended God. 

L To find the cause of man's corruption and cond^nination, we 
must go back to Eden. The eating of the "forbidden tree" was 
"the offence of one," in consequence of which " many are flead." 
This was the "sin," the act of " disobedience," which "brought 
death into the world, arid all our wo." It w^as the greatest in- 
gratitude to the Divine bounty, and the boldest rebellion against 
the Divine sovereignty. The royalty of God was contemned ; the 
riches of his goodness slighted ; and his most desperate enemy pre- 
ferred before him, as if he were a wiser counsellor than Lifinite 
108 



FAXL AND RECOVEKY OF MAN. 109' 

Wisdom. Thus man joined in league with hell, against Heaven; 
with demons of the bottomless pit, against the Almighty Maker and 
Benefactor; robbing God of the obedience due, to his command, 
and the glory due to his name ; w-orshipping the creature, instead of 
the Creator ; and opening the door to pride, unbelief, enmity, and 
all wicked and abominable passions. How is the " noble vine,'-' 
whicji was planted " wholly a right seed," " turned into the 
Regenerate plant of a strange vine!" 

Who can look for pure w^ater from such a fountain ? " That 
which is born of the flesh is flesh." All the faculties of the soul 
are corrupted by sin ; the understanding dark ; the will perverse ; 
the affections carnal ; the conscience full of shame, remorse, con- 
cision, and mortal fear. Man is a 'hard-hearted and stiff-necked 
sinner ; loving darkness rather than light, because his deeds are 
evil ; eating, sin like bread, and drinking iniquity like water ; hold- 
ing fast, deceit, and refusing to let it go. His heart is desperately 
wicked ; full of pride, vanity, hypocrisy, covetousness, hatred of 
truth, and hostility to all that is good. 

This depravity is universal. Among the natural children of 
Adam, there is no exemption from the original taint. " The w^hole 
world lieth in wickedness." "We are all as an unclean thing, 
and all our righteousness is as filthy rags." The corruption may 
vary in the degrees of development, in different persons ; but the 
elements are in all, and their nature is every w^here the. same ; the 
same in the blooming youth, and the with^red'sire ; in the haughty 
prince, and the humble peasant ; in the strongest giant, and the 
feeblest invalid. The enemy has " come in like a flood." The 
deluge of sin has swept the world. From the highest to the lowest, 
there is no health or moral soundness. From the crown of the 
head to the soles of the feet, there is nothing but wounds, and 
bruises, and putrif3dng sores. The laws, and their violation, and 
the punishments everywhere invented for the suppression of vice, 
prove the universality of the evil. The bloody sacrifices, and 
vaiious purifications, of the pagans, show the handwriting of re- 
morse upon their consciences ; proclaim their sense of guilt, and 
their dread of punishment. None of them is free from the fear 
which hath torment, whatever their efforts to overcome it, and 
however great their boldness in the service of sin and Satan. 
^' Mene ! Tekel !" is written on every human heart. " Wanting ! 

K 



110 FALL AND RECOVERY OF MAN. 

wanting!" is inscribed on heathen fanes and altars; on the laws, 
customs, and institutions of every nation; and on the universal 
consciousness of mankind. 

This inward corruption manifests itself in outward actions. "The 
tree is known by its fruit." As the smoke and sparks of the 
chimney show that there is fire within ; so all the " filthy con versa 
tion" of men, and all " the unfruitful works of darkness" in which 
they delight, evidently indicate the pollution of the source whence 
they proceed. " Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth 
speaketh." The sinner's speech betrayeth him. " Evil speaking" 
proceeds from malice and envy. " Foolish talking and jesting," 
are evidence of impure and trifling thoughts. The mouth full of 
cursing and bitterness, the throat an open sepulchre, the poison of 
asps under the tongue, the feet swift to shed blood, destruction and 
misery in their paths, and the way of peace unknown to them^ are 
the clearest and amplest demonstration that men " have gone out 
of the way," "have together become unprofitable." We see the 
bitter fruit of the same corruption in robbery, adultery, gluttony, 
drunkenness, extortion, intolerance^ persecution, apostasy, and 
every evil work — in all false religions ; the Jew, obstinately adher- 
ing to the carnal ceremonies of an abrogated law ; the Mohamme- 
dan, honoring an impostor, and receiving a lie for a revelation from 
God ; the Papist, worshipping images and relics, praying to departed 
saints, seeking absolution from sinful men, and trusting in the most 
absurd mummeries for salvation ; the Pagan, attributing divinity to 
the works of his own hands, adoring idols of wood and stone, 
sacrificing to malignant demons, casting hj,s children into the fire or 
the flood as an offering to imaginary deities, and changing the 
glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the beast and 
the worm. 

" For these things' sake the wrath of God cometh upon the chil- 
dren of disobedience."^ Theyare under the sentence of the broken 
law ; the malediction of Eternal Justice. " By the offence of one, 
judgment came upon all men unto condemnation." " He that 
believeth not is condemned already." " The wrath of God abideth 
on him." " Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things 
written in the book of the law, to do them." "Wo unto the 
wicked ; it shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall 
be given him." "They that plow miquity, and sow wickedness, 



FALL AND RECOVERY OF MAN. lH 

shall reap the same." *^ Upon the wicked the Lord shall rain fire, 
and snares, and a horrible tempest ; this shall be the portion of their 
cup." " God is angry with the wicked every day ; if he turn 
not, he will whet his sword ; he hath bent his bow, and made it 
ready." 

'Who shall describe the misery of fallen men! His days, though, 
few, are full of evil. Trouble and sorrow press him forward to the 
tomb. All the world, except Noah and his family, are drowning 
in the deluge. A storm of fire and brimstone is fallen from heaven 
upon Sodom and Gomorrah. The earth is opening her mouth to 
swallow up alive Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Wrath is coming 
upon " the Beloved City," even '* wrath unto the uttermost." The 
tender and delicate mother is devouring her darling infant. The 
sword of man is executing the vengeance of God. The earth i« 
emptying its inhabitants into the bottomless pit. On every hand 
are "confused noises, and garments rolled in blood." Fire and 
sword fill the land with consternation and dismay. - Amid the uni- 
versal devastation, wild shrieks and despairing groans fill the air. 
God of mercy ! is thy ear heavy, that thou canst not hear ? or thy 
arm shortened, that thou canst not save ? The heavens above are 
brass, and the earth beneath is iron ; for Jehovah is pouring his in- 
dignation upon his adversaries, and he will not pity or spare. 

Verily, "the misery of man is great upon him!" Behold the 
wretched fallen creature ! The pestilence pursues him. The lep- 
rosy cleaves to him. Consumption is wasting him. Inflammation 
is devouring his vitals. Burning fever has seized upon the very 
springs of life. The destroying angel has overtaken the sinner in 
his sins. The hand of God is upon him. The fires of wrath are 
kindling about him, drying up every well of comfort, and scorching 
all his hopes to ashes. Conscience is chastising him with scorpions. 
See how he writhes ! Hear how he shrieks for help ! Mark what 
agony and terror are in his soul, and on his brow ! Death stares 
him in the face, and shakes at him his iron spear. He trembles, he 
turns pale, as a culprit at the bar, as a convict on the scaffold. He 
is condemned' already. Conscience has pronounced the sentence. 
Anguish has taken hold upon him. Terrors gather in battle-array 
about him. He looks back, and the storms of Sinai pursue him ; 
forward, and hell is moved to meet him ; above, and the heaven.s 



112 FALL AND RECOVERY OF MAN. 

are on fire ; beneath, and the world is burning. He listens, and the 
judgment trump is calling ; again, and the brazen chariots of ven- 
geance are thundering from afar ; yet again, and the sentence pene- 
trates his soul with anguish unspeakable — " Depart! ye accursed 1 
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and bis angels!'' 

Thus, " by one man, sin entered into the world, and death by 
sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have' sinned." 
They are " dead in trespasses and sins ;" spiritually dead, and 
legally dead ; dead by the mortal power of sin, and dead by the 
condemnatory sentence of the law ; and helpless as sheep to the 
slaughter, they are driven fiercely on by the ministers of wrath to 
the all-devouring, grave, and the lake of fire! ; ' . 

But is there no mercy ? Is there no means of salvation ? Hark ! * 
amidst all this prelude of wrath and ruin, comes a still-small voic^, 
saying: ''much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, 
which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many." 

n. This brings us to our second topic, man's gracious recovery 
to the favor of his ofifended Godo 

I know not how to represent to you this glorious work, better 
than by the following figure. Suppose a vast graveyard, sur- 
rounded by a lofty wall, with only one entrance, which is by a 
massive iron gate, and that is fast bolted. Within are thousands 
and millions of human beings, of all ages and classes, by one epi^ 
demic disease bending to the grave. The graves yawn to swallow 
them, and they must all perish. There is- no balm to relieve, no 
physician there. Such is the condition of man as a'sinner. All 
have sinned ; and it is written, '' The soul that sinneth shall die." 
But while the unhappy race lay in that dismal prison, Mercy caine 
and stood at the gate, and wept over the melancholy scene, exclaim- 
ing — " that I might enter! I would bind up their wounds; I^ 
would relieve their sorrows;. I would save their sOuls!" An 
embassy of angels, commissioned from the court of Heaven to some 
other world, paused at the sight, and Heaven forgave that pause. 
Seeing Mercy standing there, they cried: — "Mercy! canst thou 
not enter? Canst thou look upon that scene and not pity? Canst 
thou pity, and not reheve ?" Mercy replied : " I can see !" and 
in her tears she added, " I can pity, but! cannot relieve !'•' "Why 
canst thou not enter?" inquired the heavenly host. "Oh!" said 



FALL AND RECOVEKY OF MAX. 113 

Mercy, ^^ Justice has barred the gate against me, and I must not — 
cannot unbar it !" -At this moment. Justice himself appeared, as if 
to" watch the gate. Tiie angels a^ed, "Why wilt thou not suffer 
Mercy to enter ?" He sternly replied : " The law is broken, and it 
must be honored ! Die they or Justice must !" Then appeared a 
form among the angehc band like unto the Son of God. Address- 
ing himself to Justice, he said : " What are thy demands ?" Justice 
replied : " My demands are rigid ; I must have ignominy for their 
honor, sickness for their health, death for their life. Without the 
shedding of blood there is no remission!" ''Justice," said the 
*Son of God, "I accept thy terms! On me be this wrong! Let 
IMercy enter, and stay the carnival of death !" '' What pledge 
dost thou give for the performance of these conditions?" "My 
word; my oath!" "When "wilt thou perform them?" "Four 
thousand years hence, on the hiU of Calvary, without the walls of 
Jerusalem!" The -bond w^as prepared, and signed and sealed in 
the presence of attendant angels. Justice w^as satisfied, the gate 

^was opened, and Mercy entered, preaching salvation in the name 
of Jesus. The bond was committed to patriarchs and prophets. 
A long series of rites and ceremonies, sacrifices and oblations, was 
instituted to perpetuate the memory of that solemn deed. At the 
close of the four-thousandth year, when Daniel's " seventy weeks" 
were accomplished. Justice and Mercy appeared on the hill of Cal- 
vary. "Where," said Justice, " is the Son of God ?" "'Behold 
him," answered Mercy, " at the foot of the hill!" And there he 
came, bearing his own cross, and followed by his weeping church. 
Mercy retired, and stood aloof from the scene. Jesus ascended the 
hill, like a lamb for the sacrifice. Justice presented the dreadful 
bond, saying, " This is the day on which this article must be can- 

I celled." The Redeemer took it. What did he do with it? Tear 
it in pieces, and scatter it to the winds ? No ! he nailed it to his 
cross, crying, " It is finished !" The Victim ascended the altar. 
Justice called on holy fire to come down and consume the sacrifice. 
Holy fire replied : " I come ! I will consume the sacrifice, and then 
I will -burn lip the world!" It fell upon the Son of God, and 
rapidly consumed his humanity ; but when it touched his Deity, it 
expired. Then was there darkness over the whole land, and an 
earthquake shook the mountain ; but' the heavenly host broke forth 
15 k2 



114 FALL AND RECOVERY OF MAN. 

in rapturous song — " Glory to God in the highest! on earth peace! 
good will to man!"* 

* The substance of this transcendent passage Christmas Evans often repeated 
in his preaching, and of course with considerable variation on different occa- 
sions. There are two other versions of it in English. One of them, translated 
many years ago, and published under the title of "A Specimen of Welsh 
Preaching," has been everywhere justly admired, as one orthe finest produc- 
tions of sanctified genius. The other, which we give below, was taken from 
the lips of the preacher, and rendered into English, by one of his frequent 
hearers and intimate friends. "All the stores of his energ}^," says the editor 
of the English memoir, " and the resources of his voice, which was one of 
great compass, depth, and sweetness, seemed reserved for the closing portions 
of the picture, when he delineated the routed and battered hosts of the pit, 
retreating from the cross, where they had anticipated a triumph, and met a 
signal and irretrievable overthrow."— Editob. 



« Methinks I find myself standing upon the summit of one of the highest of 
the everlasting hills, permitted thence to -take a survey of our earth. It shows 
to me a wide and far-spread burial-ground, over which lie scattered in count- 
less multitudes the wretched and perishing children of Adam. The ground is 
full of hollows, the ya^^ning caverns of death, while over it broods a thick 
cloud of fearful darkness. No light from abiove shines upon" it, nor is the ray 
of the sun or moon, or the beams of a candle seen through all its borders. 
It is walled around. Its gates, large and massive, ten thousand times stronger 
than all the gates of brass forged among men, are one and all safely locked. 
It IS the hand of Divine Justice that has locked them, and so firmly secured are 
the strong bolts which hold those doors, that all the created powers even of 
the heavenly world, were they to labor to all eternity, could not drive so much 
as one of them back. How hopeless- the wretchedness to which the race are 
doomed, and into what irrecoverable depths of ruin has the disobedience of 
their first parent plunged them ! 

" But behold, in the cool of the day there is seen descending from the eternal 
hills in the distance, the radiant form of Mercy, seated in the chariot of the 
divine promise, and clothed with splendor, infinitely brighter than the golden 
rays of the morning when seen shooting over mountains of pearls. Seated 
beside Mercy in that chariot is seen another form like unto the Son of man. 
His mysterious name is the < Seed of the Woman,' ami girt around him shines 
the girdle of eternity, radiant with the lustre of the heaven of heavens. < He 
has descended into the lower parts of the earth.' I see Mercy alight from that 
chariot, and she is knocking at the huge gate of this vast cemetery. She asks 
of Justice : ' Is there no entrance into this field of death 1 May I not visit 
these caverns of the grave, and seek, if it may be, to raise some names at 
least of the children of destruction, and bring them again to the light of day? 
Open, Justice, open ; drive back these iron bolts and let me in, that I may pro- 
claim the jubilee of deliverance to the children of the dust.' But I hear the 
stern reply of Justice from within those walls; it is, — ' Mercy, surely thou 



-y FALL AND RECOVERY OF MAX. 115 

Thus gTace has abounded, and the free gift has come upon all, 
and the gospel has gone forth proclaiming redemption to every 

lovest Justice too well, to -vrish to turst these gates by force of ara^, and thus 
obtain entrance by mere la-^-le^ violence. And I cannot open the door. I 
cherish no anger to^rards the unhappy wretches. I have do delight in their 
eternal death, or in hearing their cries as they lie upon the burning hearth of 
the great fire kindled by the wrath of God, in the land that is lower than the 
grave. But I am bound to vindicate the purity, holiness, and eqiiity of God's 
laws ; for, ' without shedding of blood there is no remission.' ' Be it so,' said 
Mercy, 'but wilt thou not accept- of a surety who may make a sufficient atone- 
ment for the crime committed and the oyffence given 1' 'That will I,' said 
Justice, <oniy let him be duly allied to either party in this sad controversy, a 
£:insman, near alike to the injured Lawgiver, and- to the guilty tenants of the 
burial-ground.' ' Wilt thou, then,' said Mercy, ' accept of the puissant Michael, 
prince among the hosts of heaven, who fought bravely in the day when there 
was war in heaven, and also vanquished Apollyon upon the summit of the 
everlasting hills'?' *No,' — said Justice, 'I may not, for his goings forth are 
not from the beginning, even from everlasting.' ' Wilt thou not then accept 
of the valiant Gabriel, who compelled Beelzebub to turn and seek safety in 
flight from the walls of the heavenly city V ' No,' — cried Justice, < for Gabriel 
is already bound to render his appointed sen-ice to the King Almighty ; and 
who may serve in his place while he should be attempting the salvation of 
Adam's race 1 There needs,' continued Justice, •' one who has, of right belong- 
ing to him, both omnipotence and eternity, to achieve the enterprise. Let him 
clothe himself with the nature of tliese wretches. Let him be born within 
these gloomy walls, and hinVself undergo death within this unapproachable 
place, if he would buy the favor of Heaven for these children of the captivity I' 

" But while thi"s dialogue was held, behold, a form fairer than the morning 
dawn, and full of the glory of heaven, is seen descending from that chariot. 
Casting, as he passes, a glance of infijiite benignity upon the hapless tenants 
of that burial-ground, he approaches, and asks of Justice : ' Wilt thou accept 
of me 1' <I will,' said Justice, 'for greater art thou than heaven and the 
whole universe.' 

« 'Behold, then,' said the stranger, 'I come: in the volume 9f the book has 
it been written of me. I will go down, in the fulness of time, into the sides of 
the pit of corruption. I will lay hold of this nature, and take upon me the dust 
of Eden, and', allied to that dust, I will pour into thy balance, Justice, blood 
of such worth and virtue that the court -of heaven shall pronounce its claims 
satisfied, and bid the children of the great captivity go free.' 

" Centuries have rolled by, and the fulness of time is now accomplished ; 
and see, an -infant of days is born within the old burial ground of Eden. 
Behold a Son given to the dwellers of the tomb, and £i spotless Lamb, the 
Lamb of God, is seen within that gloomy enclosure. When the hour came at 
which the ministers of the Divine Justice must seize upon the victim, I see 
them hurr}-ing towards Gethsemane. There, in. heaviness and sorrow of soul, 
pra}-ing more eamestl)', the surety is seen bowed to the earth, and the hea\'y 



116 . FALL ANJ) RECOVEHY. OF MAN. 

creature. " By grace ye are saved, through faith; and that not of 
yourselves ; it is the gift of God ; not of works, least any man . 
should boast." By grace -ye are loved, redeemed and justified. 
By grace ye are called,- converted, reconciled and sanctified. Sal- 
vation is wholly of grace. The plan, the process, the consummation, 
are all of grace. • " ' *, 

" Grace all the work shall crown, 

Through everiasfing days ; . .. - 

. It lays in heaven the topmost stpne, , ' * • 

And well deserves the praise !" 

" Where sin abounded, grace hath 'much more abounded." 
" Through the offence of one, many were dead." And as men mul- 

burden he had. assumed is now weighing him down. Like a lanib, he is. led 
towards Golgotha — the hill of skulls. There are mustered all the hosts of 
darkness, rejoicing in the hope of their speedy conquest over him. The naon- 
sters of the pit, huge, fierce, and relentless, are there. The lions,* as in a 
great army, were grinding fearfully their teeth, ready to tear him in pieces. 
The unicorns,* a countless host, were rushing onwards to thrust him, through, 
and trample him beneath their feet. And there were the bulls of Bashan,.* 
roaring terribly; the dragons* of the pit are unfolding themselves, and shoot- 
ing out their stings, .and dogs* many are all around the mountain. ' It is the 
hour and power of darkness.' I see him passing along through this,, dense 
array of foes, an unresisting victim. He is naiiled to the cross ; and now 
Beelzebub and all the master-sjDirits in the hosts of hell have formed, though 
invi-sible- to man, a ring around the cross. It was about the third hour of tho 
day, or the hour of nine in the morning, that he was bound as a sacrifice, even 
to the horns of the altar. The fire. of divine vengeance has fallen, and the 
flames of the curse have now caught upon him. The blood of the victim is 
fast dropping, and the hosts of hell are shouting impatiently : ' The victory 
will soon be ours.' And the fire went on burning until the ninth hour of the 
day, or the hour of three in the afternoon, when it touched his Deity ,-r-and then 
it expired. For the ransom was now paid and the victory won. It wg,s his. 
His hellish foes, crushed in his fall, the unicorns and 'the bulls 6f Bashan 
retreated from the encounter with shattered horns ; the jaws of the lions had 
been broken ajid their claws torn off, and the old dragon, with bruised head, 
dragged himself slowly away from the scene, in deathlike feebleness. < He 
triumphed over them openly,' and now is He for ever the Prince and Captain 
of our salvation, made perfect through sufferings. The graves of the old 
burial-ground have been thrown. ppen; and from yonder hills gales of life 
have blown down updn this valley of dry bones, and an exceedingl}' great, 
army have already been sealed to our God, as among the living in Zion." 

♦Allusion to the language in which Psalm" xxii. predicts the Saviour's suflferings. The Tsalm 
which our Saviour himself quoted upon the Cross, when he cried, "My God, wh^' hast thou for- 
saken pie." 



FALL AND RECOVERY OF MAN. 117 

tiplied, the offence abounded. The waters deluged the world, but 
could not wash away the dreadful stain. The fire fell from heaven, 
but could not burn out the accursed plague. The earth opened her 
mouth, but could not swallow up the monster sin. The law thun- 
dered forth its threat from the thick darkness on Sinai ; but could . 
not restrain, by all its terrors, the children of disobedience. Still 
tlie offence abounded, and multiplied as the sands on the sea-shore. 
It waxed bold, and ' pitched its tents on Calvary, and nailed the 
Lawgiver to a tree.- But in that conflict sin received its mortal 
wound. '■ The Victim "was the Victor. He fell, but in his fall 
he crushed the foe. He died unto sin, but sin and death were cru- 
cified upon his cross. Where sin abounded to condemn, .grace 
hath' much more abounded to justify. Where sin abounded to 
corrupt, grace hath much more abounded to purify. Where sin 
abounded to harden, grace hath much more abounded to soften 
and .subdue. Where sin abounded to imprison men, grace 
hath, much more abounded to proclaim liberty to the captives. 
Where sin abounded to break the law and dishonor the Law- 
giver, grace hath much more abounded to repair the breach and 
efface the stain. Where sin abounded to consume the soul as 
with unquenchable fire and a gnawing worm, grace hath much more 
abounded to extinguish, the flame and 'heal the wound. Grace 
hath abounded! It hath established its throne on the merit of the 
Redeemer's sufferings. It hath put on the crown, and laid hold of the 
golden scepter, and spoiled the dominion of the prince of darkness, 
and the gates of the great cemetery are thrown open, and there is 
the beating of a new life-pulse throughout its wretched population, 
and Immortality is walking among. the tombs! 

This abounding graxie is n>anifested in the gift ot Jesus Christ, by 
whose mediation our reconciliation and salvation are effected. 
With him, believers are dead unto sin, and alive unto God. Our 
sins were slain at his cross, and buried in his tomb. His resurrec- 
tion hath opened our graves, and given us an assurance of immor- 
tality. " God commendeth his love toward Us, in that, while we 
were yet sinners, Christ died for us ; much more, then, being now 
justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him ; 
for if, when we were enemies, we*were reconciled to God by the 
death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved 
by his life." 



118 FALL AND RECOVERY OF MAN. 

" The carnal mind is enmity against God ; it is not subject to the 
law of God, neither indeed can be." Glory to God, for the death 
of his Son, by which this enmity is slain, and reconciliation is 
effected between the rebel and the law ! This was the unspeakable 
gift that saved us from ruin ; that wrestled with the storm, and turned 
it away from the demoted head of the sinner. Had all .the angels 
of God attempted to stand between these two conflicting seas, they 
would have been swept to the gulf of destruction. " Tne blood of 
bulls and goats, on Jewish altars slain," could not take away sin, 
could not pacify the conscience. But Christ, the gift of Divine 
Grace, " Pascal Lamb by God appointed," " a sacrifice of nabler 
name and richer blood than they," bore our sins, and carried our 
sorrows, and obtained for us the boon of eternal redemption. He 
met the fury of the tempest, and the floods went over his head ; 
but his offering was an offering of peace, calming the storms and 
the waves, magnifying the law, glorifying its Author, and rescuing 
its violator from v/rath and rain. Justice hath laid down his sword 
at the foot of the cross, arid amity is restored between heaven and 
earth. 

Hither, ye guilty ! come and cast away your weapons of re- 
bellion ! Come with your bad principles, and wicked actions ; your 
unbelief, and enmity, and pride; and throw them off at the Re- 
deemer's feet ! God is here, waiting to be gracious. He wall 
receive you ; he will cast all your sins behind his back, into the 
depths of the sea ; and they shall be remembered against you no 
more for ever. By Heaven's " Unspeakable Gift," by Christ's 
invaluable atonement, by the free and infinite grace of the Father 
and the Son, we persuade you, we beseech you, we entreat you, 
" be ye reconciled to God!" 

It is by the work of the Holy Spirit within us, that we obtain a 
personal interest in the work wrought on Calvary for us. If our 
sins are cancelled, they are also crucified. If we are reconciled in 
Christ, we fight against our God no more. This is the fruit of faith. 
" With the heart man belie veth unto righteousness." May the Lord 
inspire in every one of us that saving principle ! 

But those who have been restored to the Divine favor may some- 
times be cast down and dejected. They have passed through the 
sea, and sung praises on the shore of deliverance ; but there is yet 
between them and Canaan " a waste howling wilderness," a long 



FALL AND RECOVERY OF MAN. 119 

and weary pilgrimage, hostile nations, fiery " serpents, scarcity of 
food, and the river Jordan. Fears within and fightings without, 
they may grow discouraged, and yield to temptation, and murmur 
against God, and desire to return to Egypt. But fear not, thou 
worm Jacob ! Reconciled by the death of Christ ; much more, 
being reconciled, thou shalt be saved by his life. His death was 
the price- of our redemption; his life insures liberty to the believer. 
If by his death he brought you through the Red Sea in the night, 
by his life he can lead you through the river Jordan in the day. If 
by his death he delivered you from the iron 'furnace in Egypt, by 
his life he can save you from all the perils of the wilderness. If 
by his death he conquered Pharaoh, the chief foe, by his life he 
can subdue Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, the king of 
Bashan. " We shall be saved by his life." "Because he liveth, 
we shall live also." " Be of good cheer !" The work is finished ; 
the ransom is effected ; the kingdom of heaven is opened to all 
believers. "Lift up your heads and rejoice," "ye prisoners of 
hope !" There is no debt unpaid, no devil unconquered, no enemy 
within your own hearts that has not received a mortal wound! 
" Thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory, through ou? 
Lord Jesus Christ!" 



SEEMOX V. 

ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR. 



" For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and . man, the man 
Christ JesUs:''—! Tim. ii. 5. ^ '' ^ ^ - 

TjHE apostle Paul urges the propriety and importance of praying 
for all men, in the several conditions and relations of life, from .a 
consideration of .God's merciful intentions toward, all men, as 
exhibited in the sufficiency of the gospel provision for their salva- 
tion. But if any are saved, it must be through the medium which 
God has ordained, and irl the manner which God has prescribed. 
Therefore the apostle adds: "For there is one God, and one 
Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus." " There 
is one God," to w^hom sinners have to be reconciled ; " and one 
Mediator," through whom that reconciliation is to be effected. We 
have a nearly parallel passage in another epistle : " To us there is 
but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him ; 
and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." 
The unity of God, and the mediation of Christ, are the two great 
topics of the text, to which we solicit your attention. 

I. " For there is one God." Two infinite beings cannot co-exist, 
unless they are one in essence and in operation. The God of 
Israel pervades the universe of matter, and fills the immensity of 
space. There is no room for another God, possessing the same 
ubiquity. " There is one God and Father of all, Avho is above all, 
and through all, and in you all." In him alone, all things live, 
move, and have their being. 

This doctrine is stamped on all the works of nature. They all 
exhibit unity of design, and must have been contrived by the same 
infinite wisdom, and executed by the same infinite power. The 
120 



ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR. 121 

hand vvhicli created and arranged them is constantly seen in their 
preservation. The Maker of all things continues to uphold all 
things by the word of his'power. The great Architect still presides, 
over fhe immense fabric which he has reared. The universe, from 
age to_ age, is governed by the same unvarying laws. All things 
remain as they were from the beginning. The earth, the air, and 
the sea, sustaiA the same mutual relations, and answer the same 
important ends; and the sun, the moon, and the stars, shine on 
for ever. The same order and regularity everywhere prevail, as 
when the chorus of the morning stars welcomed the new creatipn 
into being. Nature proclaims aloud : " There is one God." 

The same doctrine is impressed, upon the Bible. It is not only 
'ihe book of God, but evidently the book of " one God." It is a 
series of Divine Revelations, reaching from Eden- to Calvary, and 
from Calvary onward to the end of the world. It is a golden 
chain,, passing through'all time, and uniting the two eternities ; and 
all its link's are- similar,, and depend upon each other. I^s"^ several 
pai;t^. are perfectly harmt)mous', proving them to have emanated from 
the same infinite "mind. Everywhere we find 'the same ch^acter of 
God arrd of mah .; the same description of the law and of sin ; the 
same way of pardon, and holinessj- and imrn-ortal life. The same 
Eteuial Spirit, that inspired the Historian of Creation, speaks in the 
Apocalypse of St. John-, and in all the intervenient books of the 
Bible.. It was the same Sun of Righteousness, that rose in Eden, 
and set on Calvary ; and thence rose again the third day, to set no 
more for ever. ^ 

'' The world by wisdom knew not God." The heathen lost the 
doctrine of the unity of God ; not because it was difficult to pre- 
serve, but because they did not love the character of God, " did 
not like to retain God in their knowledge." The pride of the; 
carnal mind led them to turn away from the light of heaven, to 
walk • ami J sparks of their own kindling. They boasted of their 
wisdom ; they boasted of their philosophy. And what gained they 
by the exchange? The most ab-surd and stupid notions of the 
Great First Cause ; alm.ost total ignorance of his attributes. " Pro- 
fessing themselves-te be wise, they became fools; and changed the 
glory of the incorruptible God into an image made with hands, 
like unto corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and 
creeping things." Shame to philosophic Greece and Rome ! 
16 L 



122 ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR. 

No nation, having once lost the doctrine of the unity of God, 
ever regained it by the light of nature. If the light of nature is 
sufficient to preserve it in possession, it is not sufficient to restore it 
]ost. It is restored only by the gospel. The gospel has restored it 
in India, in Otaheite, and other heathen lands. It has done more ; 
it has revealed to the savage the only way of salvation ; it has 
'' brought life and immortality to light." . - ' '• . 

" Fly abroad, thou mighty gospel ! 
Win and conquer ! never cease !" 

Lift up thy voice with strength, and proclaim to Greece and 
Rome, and to all the ends of the earth, as well as to the cities of 
Judah, that the Son of Mary is the God of Israel, " God manifest 
in the flesh," " God blessed forever !" " The man Christ Jesus" 
is " the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of 
His person, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead 
bodily;" "in whom also we have redemption through his'blood, 
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." 

II. But this leads us to our second topic : "And one Mediator 
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus." The two doctrines, 
you perceive, are intimately related to each other. " One God" — 
" One Mediator." As we have but " one God," we need but 
" one Mediator." As that Mediator is himself God, the merit of 
his mediation is sufficient for the salvation of all them that believe. 

The office of a Mediator supposes two parties at variance, between 
whom he interposes to produce a reconciliation. It is thus " be- 
tween God and man." God gave man a law, " holy, and just, 
and good;" man revolted, and "there is wrath." Reconciliation 
is impossible, without the intervention of a mediator. Let us look 
at the parties engaged in this dreadful controversy. 

On one side we see Jehovah, possessed of infinite perfections, 
and clothed with uncreated excellence and glory. He is self- 
existent, independent and eternal. Omnipresence, Omniscience, 
and Almightiness are his. He is great in wisdom, full of goodhess, 
slow to anger, and ready to pardon. His love is ineffable, and 
" his mercy endureth for ever." He is " glorious in holiness, fearful 
in praises, doing wonders." These perfections are the pearls and 
diamonds in his crown. " With him also is terrible majesty." 
Life and joy are in his smile, but the angel of destruction waits 
upon his frown. One beam of his love can raise thousands of men 



ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR. 123 

to heaven : one glance of his anger, sink myriads of angels to hell. 
•' He sitteth upon the circles of the earth, and the inhabitants 
thereof are as grasshoppers." *'A11 nations before hinj are as 
nothing; they are counted less than nothing and vanity." "He 
doeth according to his v;ill among the children of men, and ruleth 
the armies of heaven." " At his v/rath the" earth shall tremble, and 
the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation." what 
majesty and power belong unto the Lord our God ! 

With this imperfect view, contrast the impotence and insignifi- 
cance of sinful man. What is he ? A being of yesterday, *' whose 
breath is in his nostrils," and " whose foundation is in the dust." 
A frail, helpless, perishing thing ; dependent upon God, the Creator, 
for all his comforts, for life itself. What is man ? A fool ; an alien 
from, all good ; an imbodiment of all evil. His understanding is 
dark; his w^ill perverse' ; hiis affections carnal. His "throat is an 
open sepulchre ;" swallowing up " whatsoever things are true, ^ure, 
lovely, or of good report ;" emitting a pestilential vapor, which 
withers every green herb, and sweet flower, and delicious fruit, of 
horror to God, and happiness to man. "The poison of asps is 
under his tongue ;" an inflaming poison, affecting all the members, 
and " setting on fi/e the whole course of nature, and*it is set on fire 
of hell." "His heart is fully set in him to do evil;" " deceitful 
above all things, and desperately wicked." He is an enemy to his 
Maker ; a rebel against Jehovah ; a blank — nay, w^orse — a blot in 
God's creation ; dead to every virtue, dead to every thing but sin ; 
lost to every gracious purpose of his being ; a withered branch, fit 
only to be plucked off, and cast into the fire ; stubble, ready for 
the^burning. " Let him alone !" said Reason. " Cut him down!" 
cried Justice. " I hate the workers of iniquity !" added Holiness. 
"He or I must perish!" exclaimed Truth. "Spare him! Spare 
him ! Spare him !" pleaded w^eeping Mercy. And Wisdom came 
forth, leading the Son of God, and said : "I have found a ransom! 
Beliold the Mediator!" And all the attributes met and embraced 
at the manger, and kissed each other at the cross ! 

It was rban's place, as the offender, to seek a reconciliation'. 
God was under no obligation. But, alas! man had neither the 
means nor the inclination. What could be done ? Hear, ye 
heavens ! and be astonished ! Listen, earth ! and wonder and 
adore ' While man was far from God, an enemy in his heart by 



124 . ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR. 

wicked works, rushing on in determined hostility to his Maker's 
government, and there was no sacrifice found for his sin, and no 
dispositio'^ij in him to seek a sacrifice, God sought within himself 
the adequate and only means of pardon and peace. He found in 
his own bosom the Lamb for the altar ; exhibited him to Israel in 
the predictions and promises of the Old Testament; and in the ful- 
ness of time, sent him forth to expiate sin, by the oflfering of him- 
self, once for all. " For the Word was made flesh, and dwelt 
anjong iis ; and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only 
Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth," " And being 
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedi- 
ent mito death, even the death of the Cross." 

God provided a IMediator. Why ? Did he fear that the deserved 
kL'uin' of. the human race would dethrone eternal Justice?. No. 
Eternal Justice would have been honored as much in their destruc- 
tion a's in their galvation. The law would have been as fully vindi- 
cated in the infliction of its penalt}^ upon the transgressor, as in the 
reparation of its breach by a vicarious atonement. The glory of the 
Divine government would have been untarnished, as when the rebel 
angels were cast down from heaven, and locked up. in everlasting 
darkness. This wondrous provision was not the result of necessity, 
but the prompting of Infinite Love. Divine Mercy sought to 
remove the barrier interposed by Divine Justice. The sinner can- 
not be pardoned, till his Great Substitute has met the demands of 
the law. There must be a full satisfaction and settlement of its 
claims, as the only ground on whit^h the rebel can be acquitted. 

Love is the " Alpha and Omega" of redemption, the love of God 
to man. Read it in the journey of the Mediator from hsaven to 
earth ! Read it in his pilgrimage through the land of sorrow ! 
Behold him "nailed to the shameful tree !" See the blood an,d 
water gushing from his side ! Heai' the sound of the water-spouts, 
as the floods of wrath roll over him ! Then ask t?he reason. The 
answer is: " God is love." "He is not willing that any should 
perish." It seemed good in his sight to save his rebel children, 
whatever it might cost hino,. "God so loved the world, that he 
gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should 
not perish, but have eternal life." " Herein is love, not that we 
loved God" — no ; we hated him ; we were his sworn, inveterate 
foes; "but that he loved us" — loved us while we were yet ene- 



V*** 



ONE GpD AND ONE MEDIATOR. 125 



niies — loved us with an ineffable love ; " and sent his Son to be 
the propitiation for our sins." 

Wonderful must be the qualifications of such a Mediator. He 
fills with his own merit the gap between two worlds. He bows the 
"■'heavens, and lifts up the earth to meet them. He takes hold of 
God and man, and brings them together in himself He reconciles 
the rebel and the law, glorifies the Father by humbling himself, and 
his cross becomes our life, and his tomb the birthplace of our 
immortality. 

England and Wales could not be united till the son of the king 
of England was born in Wales, and became Prince of Wales. The 
English regarded him as heir to the throne of England ; while the 
Welsh claimed him as their brother, a native of their own country, 
" born in the castle of Caernarvon. Behold " the well beloved" — 
"the only begotten of the Father," '^ heir of all things," "Lord 
of "lords, and King of kings," born '* in Bethlehem of Judea;" 
" the Son of God — the Son of man ;" partaking of both natures, 
and representing both parties in the great controversy. He is 
" the Mighty God, and the Everlasting Father ;" yet he is our near 
kinsman — bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. In his person, 
heaven and earth are joined ; by his blood, God and man are recon- 
ciled. Heaven is his throne, for God is his father; earth is his 
principality, for it is the land of his nativity. In him angels recog- 
nise their King, and men behold their brother. 

I gaze on the cross, and methinks I hear the victim say : "Look 
unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth ; for I am God, 
and beside me there is none else. I opened a way for my people 
of old, by dividing the waters, to the Canaan of Promise ; I am 
now preparing a path for believers, through the red sea of my blood, 
to the inheritance in heaven. I gave the -law amid fire and smoke 
on Sinai, and thundered forth my curse upon . its violater ; I am 
here on Calvary, to honor that violated law, and remove that curse 
from its violater by taking it upon myself Behold my hands, my 
feet, my side ! This blood, 0- men ! is your sacrifice. I will 
expiate your sin by my sufferings. I will magnify the law, and 
make it honorable. And though in your nature I hang on this tree 
. to-day, I will revive, and live for ever, to make intercession for the 
transgressors, and save to the uttermost all that come unto God by 
me!" 

l2 



126 ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR. 

The mediatorial office of " the man Christ Jesus" consists of 
two parts, sacrifice and intercession. They are equally important, 
and mutually dependent. Without sacrifice, there is no ground of 
intercession ; without intercession, there is no benefit in sacrifice. 
The former renders the latter influential with God ; the latter 
renders the formet -available to man. The one removes the obsta- 
cles to reconciliation, the other brings the adverse parties together. 

The first part of the mediatorial office is sacrifice. In order to 
understand this aright, we must have correct views of God, of 
man, and of sin. We must consider God as the lawgiver and 
governor of the universe, eternally hostile to all iniquity, and deter- 
mined to sustain his just administration. We must consider man 
as a guilty and polluted creature, a rebel in arms against his Maker, 
a prisoner under sentence and deserving punishment. We must 
consider sin as an inexcusable omission of duty, and a flagrant 
transgression of the law, under circumstances of pec-uliar aggrava- 
tion. The debt must be paid, or the sinner must perish. An 
atonement must be made, of merit equal to the turpitude of our 
crimes. The stain which we "Have cast upon the law, must be 
washed out by blood of infinite preciousness. This is the work of 
our Mediator. He ''gave himself a ransom for all." He made a 
perfect satisfaction for our sins. " He was wounded for our trans- 
gi'essions, and bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our 
peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." It is 
not by blood of bulls and goats, slain on Jewish altars, but by a 
nobler and costlier sacrifice— the paschal "Lamb of God," that 
heaven and earth are reconciled — God and man united. : 

The second part of the mediatorial office is intercession. It was 
through the High-priest, the typical mediator, that God communi- 
cated with Israel, and Israel communicated with God ; it is through 
" the man Christ Jesus," the real Mediator, that God speaks to the 
world, and receives the prayers of his people. Having/," borne the 
sins of many," he " maketh intercession for the transgressors." 
'' He hath entered into heaven himself, there to appear in the pre- 
sence of God for us." He has gone into the holy of holies, with 
"the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than the 
blood of Abel." " If any man sin, we have an advocate with the 
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." " Through him we both" — that 
is, both Jews and Gentiles — " have access by one Spirit unto ihe 



ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR. 127 

Father." He^holds iii his hand the golden censer, and offers much 
incense before the throne. It is this that perfumes our prayers, and 
renders them acceptable to God. He pleaded for his murderers 
when he hung upon the cross, and now he pleads in heaven for 
those who crucify him afresh. And what is the gi'ound of his plea ? 
Not the merit. of oiir works, bat the merit of his own sufferings. 
Not the infinitude of the Father's mercy, but the sufficiency of his 
o^vn sacrifice. This is the sure foundation of a sinner's hope. If 
Satan suggests thgft his crimes ^e too great to be forgiven, he may 
reply : " The man Christ Jesus"- is my advocate, the advocate of 
" the chief of sinners ; 

And should I die "u-ith mercy sought, 

WTien I his grace have tried, 
I sure should die— ^delightfal thought ! — 

'^Vhere sinner nev^r died"!" . ' \ 

" One Mediator." • There is no choice. You must accept of him, 
or remain unreconciled, and be cast into hell. Israel found but one 
path through the Red Sea; the church shall never find more. than 
one way to the he'avenly Canaan. It is only by faith in the " One 
^Mediator," that you can obtain the favor of the '' One God." He 
is the elect and beloved of the Father, the appointed medium of 
man's approach, the designated channel Df God's communication. 
^' Neither is there salvation in any other." No other has been pro- 
vided. No other is suited to our necessities. sinner! come 
through- this "new and living way!" Christ invites your confi- 
dence, 

" Venture on him ; venture freely ; 

Let no other trust intrude ! 
jVone but Jesus, none but Jesus, 

Can do helpless sinners good." 

These glorious tr^iths, we cannot read too often, or meditate too 
much. They represent to us the great evil of sin, the infinite mercy 
of God, the inflexible character of the law, and the incalculable 
preciousness of the gospel. Such is the Father's estimate of the 
Mediator, that he will be reconciled to sinners only through his 
blood. He is well pleased with his. Son, and well pleased with all 
who seek him through his Son, and nothing is more offensive to 
him than the rejection of his Son. May these remarks preserve you 
from despair under a sense of your guilt and wretchedness ; drive 



128 ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR. 

you from all false refuges to the cross, with a penitent and grateful 
heart ; induce you to trust, not in your own strength, or wisdom, or 
righteousness, but in the adorable name of Jesus ; to live a life of 
faith in him, of love towards him, and of patient waiting for Jiis 
mercy unto eternal salvation ! ,_ ^ m 

If you are already partakers of these blessings, how transcendent 
is your privilege ! "Ye are come unto mount Zion, the city of the 
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ; and to an innumerable com- 
pany of angels; and to the spirits of just men made perfect; ^n<l to 
the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written 
in heaven; and to God, the judge of all; and to J_esus, the Medi- 
ator of the new covenant ; and to the blood of sprinkling, •■ that 
speaketh better things than that of Abel." Follow the Captain of 
your salvation. Cleave to him in the fire and the flood. Turn not 
aside to the lying vanities of Ihe world, lest you, drink the cup of 
its eternal sorrows. Remember that those who suffer with the 
crucified shall reign with the glorified ; that such as are faithful 
unto death shall receive the crown of life. Be careful to "keep 
the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace." Endure unto the 
end, and ye shall be saved. 

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our 
Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of 
the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work, to 
do his will, working in you that which is w^ell pleasing in his sight, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory for ever aiid 
ever." Amen. 



SEEMOX A I. 

THE LIVING REDEEMER. 



" Oh that my words were now written ! oh that they luere printed in a hook ! 
that they were gransn with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! For I 
know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the 
earth : and though after rrvy skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall 
I see God : whom I shall see for myself, and mine ■ eyes shall behold, and not 
another ,- though my reins be consumed within me.'''' — Job xix. 23-^27. 

It is the common opinion of learned divines, that Job was. an 
ancient prince in some part of Arabia, known in his day by the 
name of Uz. His three friends also — "Eliphaz the Temanite, 
Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite" — were neighbor- 
ing princes. In their visit of condolence, they Tvere accompanied 
by Elihu, who seems to have been a young man of extraordinary 
intelligence and virtue. The occasion of this visit was the appa- 
rent judgments of God upon the patriarch. They held a long 
controversy with him, in which they insisted that his unparalleled 
calamities and sufferings proved him the chief of hypocrites. Job 
as strenuously maintained his innocence and integrity, and argued 
that his providential afflictions were intended only for the proof 
and the improvement of his piety ; and that when this purpose 
should be accomplished, he would come forth as gold purified from 
the furnace. God, answering out of the whirlwind, settled the dis- 
pute, deciding .in favor of his servant Job ; his three friends were 
required to offer sacrifice for their faults, and Job must pray for 
their forgiveness. Then the wheel of fortune turned in his favor, 
and he was restored to his former prosperity. 

Job and his friends evidently had a clear understanding of the 
evil of sin, the wickedness of hypocrisy, the importance of the fear 
of God, and the doctrine of an allwise superintending providence ; 
17 129 



130 THE LIVING REDEEMER. 

and knew how to approach Jehovah through sacrifice, in anticipa- 
tion of the promised Messiah. 

We shall offer a few general remarks on Job's faith in a living 
Redeemer, as expressed in our text. 

I. Our minds are struck with wonder and pleasure, in beholding 
the patriarchs and prophets of ancient times, moved by the Spirit 
of God, searching diligently for .the person and grace of the Mes- 
siah ; like miners, opening an entrance to a precious treasure, which 
is to redeem them and their brethren -from bondage. 

Job has no reference here to any temporal deliverer, nor to any 
other than the Messiah himself. He evidently saw what he needed, 
when he was speaking of the Daysman, the Umpire, one that might 
argue and settle the case between him and his Maker, one that 
might lay his hand alike on God .and man. With the eye of faith, 
he saw the Messiah, setting one foot on the continent of eternity, 
and the other on the- sea of human misery, and lifting up his hand 
and saying — " Time and eternity are mine ! I am God,, and beside 
me there is no Saviour!" Elihu also speaks of the same person, 
under the name of " a messenger," " an interpreter," " one of a 
thousand," that might commune with both God and man, concern- 
ing atonement, and justifying righteousness, and deliverance from 
the pit of eternal -destruction. 

The promise of a Redeemer descended from Eden like a precious 
ark, containing, for all mankind, the bread of life, and the unsearch- 
able riches of Divine grace. -It was conveyed from the house of 
Adam to the house of Setb, from the house of Seth to the house of 
Noah, from the house of Noah to the house of Abraham, and thence 
down through successive generations to the time of Messiah's 
advent. The patriarchs, before their -departure, received from this 
ark invaluable spiritual blessings, and a passport to the everlasting 
city ; but the ark itself they left behind for the benefit of their pos- 
terity, who found therein the balm of life, and died in the faith of a 
Saviour to come, according to the promise. 

Job's living Redeemer is none other than the promised " Seed,** 
that should " bruise the serpent's head" — Jacob's " Lion," "stoop- 
ing down" to the " new tomb hewn out of a rock," aiming at the 
King of Terrors, and on the third morning leaping and "rushing 
upon the prey," and becoming the plague of death, and the destruc- 
tion of the grave — the " JehovJ^h-jireh" of Abraham — the "I 



THE LIVING RRDEEMER. 131 

Am," who appeared to Moses in the burning bush— the " "Won- 
derful," the " Councillor," the " Child-born," and " the Ever- 
lasting Father," predicted by Isaiah — Jeremiah's ''Jehovah our 
Righteousness" — the "Branch" and "Fountain" ofZachariah — 
the "Shepherd and Stone of Israel"— the " Shiloh," to whom 
should be "the gathering of the people"— the " Governor," who 
should " come out of Bethlehem" — Malachi's " Sun of Righteous- 
ness"— Paul's " Captain of our Salvation," " bringing many sons 
to glory ;" opening a tunnel under the river of his own sufferings,- and 
the seas of human guilt and wo, through which his redeemed might 
go home to their Father's house — Peter's " Prince of Life," " slain 
and hung on a tree" — John's " Word," that " was in the begin- 
ning with God, and was God;" but "was made flesh, and dwelt 
amonsf us, full of ojrace and truth." 

II. The word here rendered Redeemer, is Goel in the original ; 
and in the book of-Ruth, is translated kinsman, one who has a right 
to redeem. The Redeemer is our near kinsman ; for " he that 
sanctifieth, and they that ai^e sanctified, are all of one; for which 
cause Jie is not ashamed to call them brethren." 

An individual in this country returned from India so rich that 
he conferred upon all his relatives an independent fortune. To us 
also a brother was born against the day of adversity, who is able to 
enrich us all ^\'ith eternal riches. You know not what hardships 
your brother endured in the East, while gathering the wealth you 
now enjoy ; but we know that our brother, " though he was rich, for 
our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich." 

When Naomi returned from the land of Moab, Elimelech, her 
husband, was de^id, and the inheritance greatly involved in debt. 
According to the law of the tribes, the. nearest kinsman of the 
deceased debtor was obliged to marry the widow, and redeem the 
inheritance, so as to retain it in the same tribe. The purchaser was 
sought in the land of Bethlehem. One was found, sufficiently rich, 
but unwilling. He preferred to take off his own shoes, before the 
elders, at the gate of the citj', rather than stand in the shoes of his 
deceased brother. It was done, however, by another, of the name 
of Boaz. But who will stand in the place of sinners, w^ho have 
forfeited all claim to the heavenly inheritance, and deserve eternal 
damnation ? Let heaven and earth meet in council, and see who is 
able and willing to " redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom 



132 THE LIVING REDEEMER. 

for him." Earth rephes — '^ There is no such person here.'^ All 
the angels around the throne answer — '' There is none in the celes- 
tial city." Search the streets of Jerusalem ; go to the garden of 
Gethsemane ; inquire on the hill of Calvary. Who is willing to die 
for sinners to-day ? There is the tree. There is the executionerj 
with hammer and nails. Who will offer himself a sacrifice there, 
for the redemption of man ? None but Jesus. None but Jesus was 
able; none but Jesus was willing. "Here ami," said he; "if 
ye seek me, let these go their way." And without the gates of 
Jerusalem, he honored the law, spoiled principalities, and redeemed 
his people. He suffered the curse in the sinner's stead, and swal- 
low^ed up all its plagues in himself. As your representative, he 
endured all the agony and ignominy you justly deserved.* ' And 
when you by faith lay hold of his atonement, you shall be made the 
righteousness af God in him — shall be dealt with, not according to 
your deserts, but according to his merit and his mercy. He was 
humbled that you might be exalted, impoverished that you might 
be enriched, bound that you might be released, punished that you 
might be spared, condemned that you might be acquitted, wounded 
that you might be healed, cursed that you might be blessed, and 
slain that you might live for e.ve*r. 

HI. Job's faith anticipated a Living Redeemer. "I know that 
my Redeemer liveth" — is the Living One — he that has life, un- 
derived and independent, in himself — the agent and source of all 
life in the universe, who will at last quicken the dead. 

The first woman was called Eve — that is, Life — because she was 
the mother of all living — the mother of him who is the life of the 
world. This w^s fulfilled four thousand years afterward in one of 
her daughters, a virgin, w^ho brought forth a son, whose name is 
Jesus, Emmanuel, the Living God, the true God, and eternal Life. 
He is the Lord of life, and the life of all that believe. " Because 
I live, ye shall live also." With the flame of one candle you may 
light many others, and the light of all is the same. Christ is the 
source whence all his people derive their light, tlie great central 
luminary of his church. " In him was life, and the life was the 
light of men." 

*Was it the amount of •suffering, or the dignity of the sufferer, that gave 
merit to the sacrifice sufficient for the world's redemption 1 Ed. 



THE LIVING ilEDEEMER. ' l33 

• When the prophet stood in the valley of dry bones and pro- 
phesied, there was a wonderful agitation, and the bones came 
together, and formed themselves into skeletons, and sinews and 
flesh covered them, and each form w^as enclosed with a skin ; but 
they were still dead, and it was not till the breath of God blew upon 
them, and kindled the flame of life within thern, that they ''stood 
up an exceeding great army." So Christ is the resurrection and 
life alike of the soul and of the body. " He that believeth on him, 
though he were dead, yet shall he live." He is the bread and the 
water of life. " He that cometh unto him, shall never hunger ; and 
he that believeth on him, shall never thirst." "He that hath the 
Son, hath life ; and he that hath not the Son, hath not life." " We 
are dead ; and our life is hid with Christ in God ; when Christ wh'^o 
is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with him ia 
glory." ^ 

IV. "The 'Living Redeemer of Job was to appear in this world. 
" He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth." 

A woman who is travelling, and has no money to bear her 
expenses, obtains credit on her husband's account, who afterward 
passes that way, and discharges the obligation. So ancient saints 
went home to glory on credit : and in the fulness of time, Christ 
came and paid their debt ; not by instalments, but all at once ; and 
the virtue of his own offering went up to the gate of Eden, and 
down to the end of the world. As on both sides of the altar of 
burnt-offering, were pipes, conveying the blood into the basins," till 
they were full ; so the great altar on Calvary communicates with 
past generations, and generations yet to come ; and the saving merit 
of the one sacrifice runs back to Abel and to Adam, and forward 
to the 4ast believer. 

Whom do. I see in the garden yonder, in such agony of soul, 
prostrate in prayer, and sweating great drops of blood? Job's 
Living Redeemer. Why is his heart thus wrung with anguish ? 
Is there a dark register of sins" in his conscience, like the fiery hand- 
writing of God upon the wall ? No, he has not a single crime to 
confess. He has done no iniquity, neither is guile found in his 
mouth. Why then does he suffer ? He is bearing our griefs, carry- 
ing our sorrows, and receiving the chastisement of our peace. Be- 
hold him on the mountain, " wounded for our transgressions, and 
bruised for our iniquities." " All we like sheep have gone astray 

M 



134 THE LIVING REDEEMER. 

we have turned every one to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid 
on him the iniquity of us all." " He is brought as a lamb to the 
slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he 
openeth not his mouth." "Who shall declare his generation?" 
Who shall give us his pedigree, his history, his character ? Will 
none of the angels of heaven make the air of Calvary ring with 
the sufferer's name? Behold! the darkened sun and quaking 
earth proclaim him God! Hark ! he speaks — " I am the true God, 
and eternal life. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning 
of the Creator's way, or ever the earth was. When there was no 
depths, nor fountains of water ; before the mountains were settled , 
before the hills was I brought forth ; while as yet he had not made 
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the 
world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there ; when he set 
a compass upon the deep ; when he established the clouds above ; 
when he strengthened the foundations of the deep ;■ when he gave 
the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his command- 
ment ; when he established the foundations of the earth ; then I 
was by him, as one "brought up with him; and I was daily "his 
delight, rejoicing always before him ; rejoicing in the habitable 
parts of his earth, and my delights were with the sons of men ; and 
therefore I am here, hanging on the cross to-day !" 

V. Job's Living Redeemer was to deliver him from the power of 
death. 

Job anticipated the coming of " the last enemy," who should 
give his flesh t6 be food for worms. The Sabeans had taken away 
the oxen and the asses, and slain the servants with the edge of the 
sword. The fire had fallen from heaven, and burnt up the sheep 
and the shepherds. The Chaldeans hc^d robbed him of his camels, 
and murdered his domestics. The whirlwind had killed his sons 
and his daughters in the house of their feasting. His body was 
covered with putrid ulcers, from head to foot. His best friends 
turned against him, and even his wife tempted him to '' curse God 
and die." But amid all his calamities, he saw another enemy, 
ready to assail his body, and drag it away to the tomb, and reduce 
it to dust and ashes. At the same time, his faith beheld the Messiah 
swallowing up death in victory. He saw the Son of Mary in the 
house of Jairus, where the lion had just slain his victim; and on 
the street of Nain, where he was taking the prey to his den ; and 



THE LIVING REDEEMER. 135 

at the grave in Bethany, where he was banquetting with worms in 
the joy of victory. Death could not' stand before the Prince of 
Life. The spoiler yielded up his spoil. Christ sailed on the open 
channel like a man of war, delivering the hapless captives of the 
great pirate Death, to the astonishment and joy of the people, from 
Samaria to the borders of Tyre and Sidon. But on a certain day, 
ever to be remembered, as he drew near the ramparts of Sinai, all' 
its batteries were opened upon him. He stood in the fire all night, 
and fought till he sweat great drops of blood.. He threw himself 
between his friends and the fort, and sustained the shock of its 
heaviest artillery, which played upon, him without intermission, 
especially the old cannon of Eden — " Dying thou shalt die" — 
until three o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, when he re- 
ceived a shot in the heart, and, crj'ing, "It is finished!" gave up 
the ghost. The whole creation trembled when he fell, and was 
swallowed up in the horrible abyss. But on the morning of the 
third day, the earth was 'seized with new spasms, and he that was 
dead came forth to be the life of his people.; and the cable of faith, 
the anchor of hope, and the sails of love, ascended with him from 
the deep, never to go down again. He .is alive for evermore, and 
has the keys of hell and of death. 

VI. Job speaks of the period of Messiah's, advent, under the 
term of " the latter day." This may refer, either to the end of the 
Jewish dispensation, or to the end of- the world. 

Christ- has already once appeared oh earth, fulfilled the types and 
shadows, made an end of sins, and brought in everlasting righteous- 
ness ; " and to them that look for him, he shall appear the second 
time, without a sin-offering, unto salvation." " When the Son of 
man shall come in his glory, then shall he sit upon the throne of his 
glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall 
separate them as the shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats." 
Then shall God have finished his work in mount Zion, and the 
trumpets of the gospel shall cease to sound, and the great net shall 
be taken up from the sea, and the laborers in the vineyard shall 
receive their wages, and the tares shall be cast into the unquench- 
able fire. 

Wonderful shall be the glory and the terror of that day ; " when 
the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his might} 
angels, in flaming fire ; taking vengeance on them that know not 



136 THE LIVING REDEEMER. 

God, and obey not the gospel ; who shall be punished with ever- 
lasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory 
of his power; when he shall come to be glorified' in his saints, and 
admired in all them that believe." What a glorious army shall 
attend him down the skj — myriads of his saints, and all the celes- 
tial powers and principalities ! " Fire shall devour before him, and 
it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the 
heavens above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people." 
His throne shall be " like a fiery flame, and his wheels like a burn- 
ing furnace." He "shall descend with "a shout, and the voice of 
the archangel, and the trump of God." The sound of the trumpet on 
Sinai was long and loud, and " exceeding terrible ;" but how much 
more powerful shall be the voice of " the last trumpet," penetrat- 
ing the cold ear of death, and awaking into imm.ortality the dust of 
the grave ! Then the Messiah shall not appear " as a root out of 
dry ground ;" but shall stand forth before heaven and earth "in 
the glory of the Father, and of his holy angels ;" in addition to the 
glory of his own person -as Gbd-maii, and the glory of his work as 
Mediator. Before him, " the heavens shall pass away with a great 
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ; the earth also, 
and the works that are therein, shall be burned up ;" and death and 
hell shall deliver up their dead ; and all men -shall stand and receive 
their sentence from him whp was an infant m Bethlehem — " a 
man of sorrows, and acquainted w^itli grief" — condemned by Pilate, 
mocked by the multitude, and nailed upon the cross. This is Job's 
living Redeemer, the resurrection and life of all who believe. 

Vn. Our text contains Job's confession of faith. It is brief, but 
very comprehensive, and may be called an epitome of th^' gospel. 
Here we have the Divinity and the humanity of Christ, his w^ork of 
redemption, his victory over death and hell, his second qdvent, and 
the resurrection of the dead. 

The Athenians mocked when they heard cf the resurrection of 
the dead; and the Sadducees greatly erred on this subject, "not 
Iknowing the scriptures, nor the power of God ;" and many of the 
Corinthians imbibed the same poison of unbelief. But the patri- 
arch of Uz thouorht it not " a things incredible that God should 
raise the dead." He firmly believed the doctrine, and gave it a 
prominent place in his confession. He knew that God is able to 
watch and preserve the dust of his saints ; has his eye upon every 



THE LIVING REDEEMER. 137 

particle, throughout all the periods of'time ; and through the Divine 
Mediator, " will raise it up at the last day." This doctrine was to 
him a great consolation in his unparalleled afflictions. " Though my 
skin," says he, " is a tissue of disease and corruption — yea, though 
my body sink into the earth, and be eaten up of the worms, and my 
very reins be consumed within me— yet in my flesh," in this same 
body, reorganized, reanimated, and made immortal from the tomb, 
I shall see God — shall see him for myself, with, these self-same 
eyes." 

Yes, brethren ; the souls and bodies of all the human race shall 
be reunited; and with our own eyes, we shall see the judge of 
quick and dead, with his fan in his hand, thoroughly purging his 
floor, gathering the wheat into his garner, and burning up the chaff 
with unquenchable fire. In that day^ the tares and the wheat shall 
be for ever separated, and there shall be no more foolish virgins 
among the wise. "For we must all appear before the judgment- 
seat of Christ, that we may receive the -things done in the body, 
according to that we have done, w^hether it be good or evil." 

How^ vast . the difference between Messiah's first and second 
advents! When he "tabernacled and dwelt among us," he 
appeared "in the form of. a servant;" but when he shall come 
again, he shall come as a judge, and " sit upon the throne of his 
glory ;" and- " all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and 
come forth ; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of 
•life ; and^they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damna- 
tion." " For the Son of man shall ^end forth his angels ; and they 
shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them that 
do iniquit}' ; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire ; there shall 
be weeping and gnashing of teeth ; then shall the righteous shine 
forth as the Sun in the kingdom of their Father." 

Vni. I call your attention to one other topic suggested by the 
text — ^the confidence with which Job speaks of his interest in the 
living Redeemer. " For I know that my Redeemer liveth." It 
was not a mere conjecture. There was no doubt in the case. The 
patriarch had -reached the assurance of faith ; and so perfectly satis- 
fied was he of the fact, that he expressed an intense desire that his 
words might be recorded on the most durable materials^ that they 
might be read by generations to come. 

How may we acquire the same confidence ? WTiat is the evi- 
18 " M 2 ♦ 



138 THE LIVING REDEEMER. 

dence of our interest in Job's living Redeemer ? The nature and 
effects of the change which has taken place in our hearts. You 
that " were sometime darkness, are now light in the Lord ;" have 
been *' called out of darkness into his marvellous light;" and can 
say — " One thing I know, that whereas I was once blind, now I 
see." ^' The carnal mind is enmity against God ;" but those that 
are born of the Spirit love God; and love and hatred are not so 
much alike, that you can.not tell by vvhich principle you are- governed. 
While the strong man armed kept the palace, his goods were in 
peace ; but when a stronger than he came and cast him out, there 
w^as a warfare commenced between the old man and the new. You 
were formerly dead in trespasses and sins ; but- are now alive to 
God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. You were once destitute of 
faith in the Redeemer ; but now you believe in him, and rely upon 
his righteousness alone, as the ground of your acceptance and sal- 
vation. How can you experience such a transformation,' ^nd know 
nothing of the matter ? As well might the sick, when Christ healed 
them — as well might the blind, when Christ opened their eyes — as 
well might the dead, when Christ raised them to second life from 
the bed, the bier, or the grave — have been ignorant .of the mighty 
change. 

In the word of God, we have the testimony of many wdio had 
obtained the assurance of faith. " I know that my Redeemer 
liveth, and that he shall stand upon the earth at the latter day" — 
w^as the testimony of Job. "'' The Lord is my rock, and my for- 
tress, and my deliverer, and the horn of my salvation, in w^hom I 
wall trust" — w^as the testimony of David.--'' I will greatly rejoice 
in the Lord ; my soul shall be joyful in God ; for he hath clothed 
me with the garments of salvation ; he hath covered me with the 
robe of righteousness" — w^as the testimony of Isaiah. '' I know ia 
whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep 
that w^hich I have committed unto him against that day" — was the 
testimony of the apostle Paul. "We know^ that we are of God; 
w^e know that we have passed from death unto life ; we know that 
when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for w^e shall see liim as 
he is" — w^as the testimony of John, '' the beloved disciple." 

"These things," saith the apostle, "have I written unto you 
that believe in the name of the Son of God, that ye mjght know^ 
that ve have eternal life." This is the design of God, in revealing 



THE LIVING REDEEMER, 139 

his will to the church. We may — vre should know that we have 
eternal life. •'' He that believeth on the Son of God hath the wit- 
ness in himself." But this assurance of faith is not a mere ima- 
gination of the brain. It is not founded on a vague notion of your 
being one of the electa without any other evidence. It is not 
founded on a voice from heaven, bidding you be of good cheer, 
and go in peace, because your sins are forgiven you. It is founded 
on the iruitg" of the Spirit, and the' testimony of Divine Revelation. 
True believers are " created anew in Christ Jesus, unto good 
works ;" evincing the reality of their love to God by keeping his 
commandments. 

Let US; therefore, give all diligence to make our calling and 
election sure. Let us -examine ourseiVes, whether we are in the 
faith. Let us compare our religion with the precepts of the Bible, 
and the example of ancient saints. But as our hearts are so wicked 
and deceitful, let us not trust them, but pray to God for the aid of 
his Holy Spirit, in this important work of self-examination. • Behold 
''the Sweet Singer of Israel," praying — " Search me, God, and 
try me; prove me, and know my heart." The Holy Spirit has 
given you a rule by which you are to examine yourselves ; and he 
works in you a conformity to that rule, and bears witness with your 
spirits that you are the children of God. . In proportion to his 
operation upon the heart, will be the assurance of faith ; and in 
proportion to the assurance of faith, will be your spiritual comfort 
and joy. The Lord grant us that " faith which worketh by love, 
and puriHeth the heart !" 

Are you stript of property, bereft of children, afflicted in body, 
forsaken of friends, persecuted and insulted by relatives ? Think 
of Job, and of Job's living Redeemer ! Imitate the patriarch's 
patience and confidence amid all the troubles and conflicts of life ! 
Go your ^vay until the end; for ye shall- rest, and stand in your 
several lots at last ! ■ ' 



SERMON VII. 

MESSIAH'S KINGDOM. 



^^ And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, 
which shall never be destroyed.- and the kingdom shall 'not he left to other people, 
hut it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms^ and it shall stand for 
ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain with- 
Gut hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and 
the gold ; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass 
hereafter i and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof ■sure^''^ — 
Dan. ii, 44, 45. * 

In these words v/e have a prophetic description of the kingdom 
of Christ, as the fifth empire th^it should arise after the date of this 
prophecy. The' wonderful image which so' troubled the king" of 
Babylon in his dream, and occasioned, him so much solicitude when 
he awoke, denoted four of Uie great empires of the world. The 
head of gold represented the Babylonian empire.; the breasts, and 
arms of silver, the Medo-Persian empire ; the belly and thighs of 
brass, the Grecian empire, under Alexander the Great ; the legs and 
feet of iron, the Roman empire in its strength and glory; and the 
ten toes of mingled iron and clay, the same empire in its divided 
and enfeebled state. The last circumstance was intended to denote 
the same thing as the ten horns on the head of the Beast in the 
oook of Revelation. As iron is firm and strong, and able to bruise 
and break all materials of a softer quality ; . so the Roman empire 
once crushed beneath its power all other kingdoms, and dictated 
laws to the world. As the "beast with- iron teeth trampled and rent 
to pieces all that came in its way ; so the Roman tyrant, like a lion 
among the lartibs of the flock, tore and devoured the followers of 
the meek and lowly Jesus. 

The kingdom of Christ is represented under the figure of " a 
140 



MESS1AH'"S 'KINGDOM. 141 

stone cut out of the mountain without hands-:" th^t is, without 
human agency — without any wisdom or power of man, but by the 
Spirit of God ; smiting the feet of the image, and shattering it into 
fragments ; then becoming a great mountain, and fifling the whole 
earth. In the history of Christianity we have the counterpart ot 
the emblem. Messiah appeared in the form of a servant ; born of 
a poor virgin, in the despised town of Bethlehem ; lived a life of 
poverty, persecution, and various sorrow, from the manger to the 
tree ; died the most painful and ignominious of deaths, even the 
accursed death of the €*ross ; but rose from the dead on the pre- 
dicted morning, the morning of the third day ; commissioned his 
apostles, the iishermen of Galilee, to "go into all the world, and 
preach the gospel to every creature ;" ascended on high, and sent 
down the Holy Spirit, the' promised Comforter, to give energy and 
efficacy to the w^ord, to prove its divinity, and convince and save 
mankind. The apostles immediately commenced their work ; per- 
severed in the divine employment ; were prospered by the power 
of God ; and the stone, rolling forth from Mount Zion, and raising a 
(Just which daiiened the very heavens, smote the feet and legs of 
the image, until it shook, and the earth trembled around it ; and 
that stonfe is still rolling on, and shall crush-and demolish the image, 
and grind it to .powder, and scatter it to the winds of heaven ; and 
shall increase, till it becomes a great mountain, and fills the whole 
earth for ever. 

. In speaking of the accomplishment 'of this prophecy, we will 
notice — its certaint}', its attendant glory, and the nearness of its 
approach. 

■ I. The certainty of the accomplishment of this prophecy is 
founded, ^r5^,' on the Father's promise to the Sbn, made on the 
-express condition of his pouVing out his soul unto death. "I the 
Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and 
will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a 
light of the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes, to bring forth the 
prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkrtess out of the 
prison-house." Christ's universal dominion is the promised reward 
of his sufferings, and the Father speaks as if he intended to raise 
his wages. " Thvis saith the Lord ; It is a light thing that thou 
shouldst be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore 
the preserved of Israel; I will also give thee for a light of the 



142 MESSIAH S KINGDOM. 

gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the 
earth." "Ask of me, and I shall, give thee the heathen- for thine 
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." 
Such is the promise. All nations shall come and worship before 
him. . All that the Father hath given shall come unto him, and the 
gates of hell shall not prevail against them. 

The certainty of Messiah's universal dominion is founded, secondly, 
on his perfect qualification to accomplish the work which the Father 
hath given him to do. "No one knoweth the Father," in all the 
perfection of his nature, all the wisdom of his counsels, and all the 
immutability of his purposes, " but the Son ; and no one knoweth the 
Son, but the Father," as he alone is of the same essence, and exhibits 
the same attributes. Christ is " God manifest in the flesh ;" " the 
brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person." 
None but a divine person could give, and hone but a divine person 
could receive, such a privilege as is Jiere promised. None bilt a divine 
person could be competent to the eternal redemption of countless 
millions of the human, race. Christ " is the true God, and Eternal 
Life"—" the Faithful Witness, the First Begotten from the dead, 
and the Prince of the kings of the earth"—" the Alpha and Omega, 
the Beginning and the Ending, -the First and .the Last" — " the 
Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning 
Star" — " Over all, God, blessed for ever." These are Messiah's 
titles, which evince his equality to the work which he has under- 
taken — the salvation of the world, and the subjugation of all things 
unto himself. He is able, not only to set up his kingdom, but also 
lo establish it for ever. It shall never be destroyed, nor left to 
other people ; but shall break in pieces and destroy all other king- 
doms, and the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of 
our God and of his Christ. 

Take courage, ye fearful saints ! Your king is the Almighty God. 
He shall conquer all your enemies. The victory of Calvary is the 
pledge and earnest of his universal dominion. You shall soon be 
more than conquerors, through him that hath loved you, and giveii 
himself for you. He is able to protect you against the combined 
powers of, earth and hell. Omniscient, he is well acquainted with 
all the plots of his enemies ; Almighty, he can at any moment 
frustrate them. The prince of darkness, with all his hosts, cannot 
impede the progress of his kingdom. In all their councils, he is 



Messiah's kingdom. 143 

present, hearing tlieir deliberations and discovering their malice 
He overturns their schemes, or employs them for the accomplish 
ment of his own gracious purposes. ^' His counsel shall stand, and 
he will do all his pleasure." Too wise to err, and too powerful to 
be overcome, he marches in the van of battle, and will never for- 
sake his soldiers. The very sight of his helmet and his plume is 
victory to his followers, and death to his foes. 

Courage, ye friends of Zion ! " Lift up your hearts and rejoice, 
for your redemption draw-eth nigh." Take the whole armor of 
God ; quit you like men ; be strong ; for the decisive conflict is at 
hand. Behold your General, clothed with a garment white as 
snow, girt about the loins with a golden girdle, his feet as fine 
brass burning in a furnace,, his countenance as the sun shining in 
his strength,* his eyes as a flame of fire, his voice as the sound of 
many waters, a sharp two-edged sword proceeding out of his mouth, 
seven stars in his right hand, and at his girdle the keys of death and 
hell. This is' the Captain of your salvation", of whom the Evan- 
gelical Prophet inquires — " Wha is this that cometh from Edom, 
with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his 
apparel, travelling in the greatness' of his strength?" This is 
Emmanuel ; mighty to conquer, and mighty to save. Who can 
stand before the glory of his pewer ? Who can hinder the universal 
triumph of his cause ? The government shall be upon his shoulder, 
and he shall reign for ever and ever. 

What has been said is deemed sufficient to show the certainty 
of jNIessiah's universal empire. The promises of the Father to the 
Son are so many drafts of immense amount, upon the bank of hea- 
ven, which will be paid without discount at the appointed time; 
and the character of Christ is a sufficient guarantee that he will 
carry forward to its completion the work which he has begun. 
Having secured a title to the kingdom by his sufferings, he shall 
certainly come, and take_possession,.and reign for ever. The gos- 
pel is a lever, whose fulcrum is the Rock of Ages, and it shall yet 
lift our fallen world to-heaven. Balaam knev/ that his curses could 
not injure Israel, whom Jehovah had blessed. The kingdom of 
■Nfessiah is mightier than Moab. The people beloved of the Lord 
shall prosper in spite of their enemies — as gardens by the rivers, 
and willows by the water-courses. " There shall be a' handful of 
corn," not a sackful, only so much as the sower may hold in his 



144 MESSIAH S KINGDOM. 

hand — not on the bank of the Nile, nor in the valley of the Jordan, 
but " on the top of the mountain" — the wild, high, rocky, unculti- 
vated mountain ; "the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon," and 
the wind shall carry the seed to the uttermost parts of the earth, 
and young Lebanons shall grow up everywhere, and even the 
barren rocks and sands of Arabia shall become as the garden of 
God.. It was but a handful of the seed of the kingdom, which 
Peter cast abroad on the day of Pentecost ; it was but a handful he 
sowed in the house of Cornelius, the captain of the Itahan band ; 
but it soon spread throughout Judea, and even to the isle^ of the 
sea, so that nothing was more manifest or more, abundant than its 
fruit. But the prevalence of Christ's millennial kingdom shall be 
still more rapid and glorious; and "from the rising to the settmg 
of the sun, his name shall be great among the Gentiles." 

Already the church is singing — " Gir3 thy sword upon thy thigh, 
thou Most Mighty; and in thy majesty, ride prosperously, because 
of truth," and meekness, and righteousness. Thine arrows are sharp 
in the hearts of the king's enemies, whereby the peoplfe fa-ll under 
thee." The song has reached the ear of the Prince of- Darkness, 
and he " hath come in great wrath" to the battle, " for.he knoweth 
that he hath but' a short time." He knows that " the Desire of 
nations" is come; and that his kingdom, already begun, shall be 
established for ever, and extend from sea to sea^ till the knowledge 
of his glory and the victories, of his grace shall cover the earth. 
He sees the Stone rolling against the idols of India, and Africa, 
and the islands of the sea, and feels his kingdom shake beneath its 
progress. He sees the Bramins, the Karens, the worshippers of 
Juggernaut and the Ganges, plucked as brands out of the burning. 
He trembles to anticipate the announcement — •" The kingdoms of 
this world are become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ !" 
He beholds the mighty angel, with the keys of" the bottomless pit, 
and a. great chain in his hand, descending from "heaven, to bind 
him in his prison. He hates the church, with her various benevo- 
lent enterprises ; for he sees in them the artillery of Heaven,- playing 
upon his fortresses of infidelity, and idolatry, and vice — the enginery 
of God, setting up a kingdom which shall consume all others, and 
stand fo^ ever. " The dream is certain, and the interpretation 
thereof is sure." 

II. We call your attention to the glory of Messiah's universal 



Messiah's kingdom. 145 

reign. It includes three things ; the victory obtained, the blessings 
bestowed, and the duration of the kingdom. Let us consider them 
distinctly. 

First. The victory obtained. Here we behold the " stone cut 
out of the mountain.," rolling down the steep, rushing and leaping 
toward the great image, and smiting and breaking its feet of iron 
artd clay, so that it falls like Dagon before the ark. And still the 
Stone, instinct with the power of God, and increasing in size and 
velocity, keeps rolling to and fro, bounding and rebounding, till it 
grinds the fallen image to powder, and scatters it as the dust of the 
summer thrashing-floor. It is endued with perpetual motion ; keep- 
ing up a constant action and reaction, crushing whatever opposes 
its pTrogress, and growing to such a magnitude as shall shortly fill* 
the whole earth. This is the salt of Galilee, seasoning the nations 
— the leaven of Jerusalem, spreading through the w^orld. This is 
the victorious reign of Christ, fi'om the Tiber to the Thames, from 
the Euphrates to the Ganges, from Britain to Japan, from sea to 
sea, and from pole to pole. This glorious conquest is to be obtained 
by " the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God ;" in con- 
nection with the vast machinery of Divine Providence, all the 
wheels of- which are under the direction of Jesus the Christ. It is 
a rictory ovei; Satan, by bruising Kis head ; a victory ever sin, by 
destroying its power ; a victory over death, by swallowing it up 
for ever. Emmanuel has already successfully engaged all these 
foes ; and having routed them on Calvary eighteen hundred years 
ago, he still pursues their flight; and shall, not turn again, till he has 
trampled "the last enemy" under his feet. 

Satan is the prince and the god of this world. In the manage- 
ment of his affairs, he employs a policy similar to that of the Sultan 
of Constantinople, who sets, up many- pashas or governors under 
him, as the Pasha of Egypt, the .Pasha of Aleppo, the Pasha of 
Damascus, all possessing the same despotic spirit, and carrying out 
the same tyrannical measures. The devil has established a great 
number of pashas throughout his dominion. Three of them are 
described by' the Revelator, as unclean spirits, like frogs ; one of 
them issuing from the mouth of Satan himself, representing undis- 
guised Paganism ; another from the mouth of the Beast, represent- 
ing a persecuting civil power ; the third from the m.outh of the 
False Prophet, representing abominable and damnable heresies. 
19 N 



146 Messiah's kingdom. 

But these shall all be conquered ; these, and every other enemy of 
Messiah upon earth. Jewish impenitence and. unbelief, which,* foi 
a period of eighteen centuries, has ruled wdth an absolute sceptre 
the lineal descendants of Abraham, shall be overcome. Moham- 
medism, the '^king of fierce countenance, understanding dark 
sentences," that has reigned over so large a portion of the world, 
practising and prospering, deceiving millions of souls, and destroy- 
ing the holy people, shall be broken without hand, and his kingdom 
shall cgme to naught. The drunken harlot of Rome, riding on her 
scarlet beast, that is, a cruel and persecuting civil government, and 
making all nations drink of the wdne of her fornication, shall be 
obliged to drink the wine of the wrath of Almighty God ; and all 
the saints shall clap their hands at her overthrow, and shout halle- 
lujah to the Captain of their salvation. And all those Protestant 
piishas of Satan, who w^ould undermine the gospel by denying its 
peculiar and fundamental doctrines — such as the Divinity of Christ, 
the merit of his sacrifice, the excellency of his offices, the person- 
ality and w^ork of the Holy Spirit- — and even the existence of his 
own infernal majesty, shall be destroyed by the brightness of 
Emmanuel's coming, when he shall appear in the glory of his mil- 
lennial kingdom. Then shall the song .of the heavenly host break 
once more upon the ear of Zion — " Arise, shine, for thy light is 
come, and the glory of the Lord is ri^n upon thee!" ■ And "the 
Gentiles shall come 4;o her light, and kings to the^'brightness of her 
rising." " Her sons- shall come from far, and her daughters shall 
be nursed at her side." " The glory of the Lord shall be dis- 
played, and all flesh shall see it together." 

Secondly. The blessings bestowed. Christ " hath ascended on 
high, and received gifts for merf ; yea for the rebellious .also, that 
God may dwell among them." The celestial reservoir is full ; and 
the golden pipes are laid, for conveying the w^aters of life to every 
soul of man ; and the time shall yet come, w^hen all shall know 
the Lord, from the least to the greatest. The gospel salvation shall 
be an ocean, spreading over the wiiole earth ; and there shall be 
no more ebbing and flowing of the waters, but a continual full tide 
from shore to shore. The Chinese, the Hottentot, and the Ameri- 
can Indian," shall be as thoroughly instructed in ^Divine things as 
the Welshman;' and the Welshman shall be seven times more in 
telllgent than now. And this iin-r\'ersally prevalent knowledge of 



Messiah's kingdom. 147 

Christ shall be, not merely nominal and theoretical, but experimen- 
tal and practical. It shall be a "faith unfeigned," *' of the opera- 
tion of God," " working by love, and purifying the heart." The 
light of the gospel shall be " as the sun shining in his strength," 
scatteiing all clouds from the face of the world, and the moon and 
the stars shall be lost in its efiulgence. Living waters shall flow out 
from the spiritual Jerusalem in summer and winter ; neither frozen 
by the co^ld, nor evaporated by the heat. Like the deluge of Noah, 
they shall coY.er the mountains^ but they shall save, and not destroy, 
all whom they shall overwhelm. " In that day, there shall be one 
Lord, and his name shall be one ;" and he " shall be king over all 
the earth." The cause of Christ shall be pre-eminent in the esti- 
mation of mankind. The duties and interests of Christianit}- shall 
constitute no secondary concern. " The mountain of the Lord's 
house shall be established in tlie tops of the mountains, and exalted 
above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it." 

Among the blessings of this happy period, shall be that of a 
universal and everlasting peace. There shall be no more conten- 
tion and bloodshed upon earth. " Nation shall no more lift up 
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." The 
arsenals shall emp'ty their contents into the founderies and black- 
smith-shops, and .th^ weapons of war shall be converted into scythes 
and plowshares. -O, glorious day! when heaven shall be seen upon 
earth, and earth itself shall seem like heaven ! Behold tbe ferocious 
wolf dw'elling with the gentle lamb ; the furious leopard Ijin^ down 
with the innocent kid ; the cow and the bear feeding in the same 
pasture ; the infant leading the lion by th,e mane, and playing upon 
the den of the adder and the asp ; and no disposition to hurt or 
destroy. These are the scriptural emblems of that blessed peace. 
Holiness and happiness, more united than David and Jonathan, 
more inseparable than Ruth and Naomi, hand in hand, two 
heavenly twins, shall go singing over the world. All envy and 
jealousy and hostility, whether of nations, of churches, or of indi- 
viduals, shall perish before Messiah's kingdom, as perished the 
image in the vision before that wondrous stone. 

Thirdly. The duration of the kingdom. This is the crowning 
circumstance of its glor}^ It " shall not be destroyed, nor left \o 
other people." Its enemies, however numerous and mighty, cannot 
overthrow it; and it " shall stand for ever." Where now are the 



148 Messiah's kingdom. 

illustrious empires of Babylon, and Persia, and Greece, and Rome? 
Where are the Pharaohs, the Ptolemies, the Alexanders, the Caesars, 
'"the Napoleons, whose voice terrified nations, and whose tread 
shook the world ? Where — with all their power and splendor, 
their iron sceptres and golden crqwns ? Gone ; mouldering in the 
dust ; and their magnificence nourishes the worm. They are 
utterly demolished, and shall rise no more. 3ut the King of Zion 
liveth through all time, and is himself " the Father of Eternity," 
"the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, the First 
and the Last." " His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and of 
his dominion there shall be no end." 

III. Let us consider the nearness of its approach. The lan- 
guage of prophecy, viewed in connection with the signs of the times, 
"vvill lead us to the conclusion that it is nigh at hand, even at the 
door'. 

Many learned divines are of opinion that Popery and Mohammed- 
ism, the Antichrists of the east and the west, must fall about the year 
1866. This notion is founded on the following words : ^' From the 
time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomina- 
tion that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two 
hundred and threescore days — Blessed is he that waiteth, and 
Cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days."* 
Different writers on the prophecies, however, differ in opinion con- 
cerning the times of their fulfilment. All these speculations are very 
uncertain, if not utterly unprofitable. What matters it, if our watches 
do not exactly agree ? We all know that the night is far spent^ and 
the day is at hand," and the magnitude and importance of our duty 
requires prompt and earnest attention. 

Five men were determined to rise early in the morning, to engage 
in a great work, upon which -depended their future fortunes. The 
fifst was up before the morning star ;. and though uncertain as to 
the hour, immediately prepared for business. The second, when 
he rose, saw the star just above the horizon, and-hastened to his 
work with animation and joy. The third slept a little ^too long, 
and awoke in great confusion and "alarm ; but hurrying through the 
day as well as he could, though with a heavy heart and many a 
blunder, he made out partially to redeem his delinquency. The 

* Dan. xii. 11, 12. 



Messiah's kingdom. 149 

fourth heard the cock crowing, -but thought there was no need of 
being in a hurry, and composed himself to sleep again ; and when 
his neighbors called him, turned in his bed, and answered — " A 
little more slumber ;" and awaking about nine of the clock, found 
the day too far advanced, and abandoned his purpose in despair. 
The fifth, disturbed by the bustle of the others before daylight, got 
up and looked out of the window ; and finding it as dark as it was 
at midnight, was very angry, called his neighbors a set of fools, and 
declared he would have nothing to do with the enterprise ; and 
while all the others made themselves rich, he lived and died in 
deserved poverty ; and some pitied him for his misfortune, and 
others ridiculed him for his folly. Mark the wise man, and follow 
his example. 

The kingdom of Antichrist has of late been greatly weakened in 
many parts of the w^orld. Providence is pouring the vials of wrath 
upon the Beast and the False Prophet. The idols and altars of 
Paganism fall before the advancing ark of God. The church, with 
its train of benevolent institutions — like the bride, with her attend- 
ant virgins, going forth to meet the r^yal bridegroom — proclaims 
the coming of the Prince of Peace. *The Bible, Missionary, Sab- 
bath-school, 'and Tract societies, are four heralds, running before 
Messiah's chariot ; rather, the four w^heels of that chariot in which 
he rides victoriously. 

The rise and progress of the British and Foreign Bible Society 
remind me of the stream in Ezekiel's vision. . This great river had 
its source in one of the mountains of Wales. In the year 1802, the 
Rev. Mr. Charles of Bala, an ordained minister of the established 
church, officiating in connection with the Calvinistic Methodists, 
deeply impressed with the preciousness of the Bible, and aware of 
the scarcity of copies throughout the principality, felt that some 
measures ought to be adopted to furnish it at a reduced price, and 
circulate it gratuitously among the poor. He wrote concerning it 
to his countryman, the Rev. Mr. Owen, an Episcopal clergyman in 
London. The subject was subsequently introduced to a circle of 
Christian gentlemen, who had met to transact other business. It 
elicited much conversation, and excited a lively interest. The 
Rev. Joseph Hughes, a Welshman, and Baptist minister at Batter- 
sea,' near London, suggested that Wales was not the only part of 
the world that felt a want of the Bread of Life ; and that it was 

n2 



150 Messiah's kingdom. 

desirable to awaken, if possible, a more extensive interest on the 
subject among Christians of every name ; and stir them up to the 
adoption of some measure, which might lead to a general circula- 
tion of the Scriptures. The • suggestion was heartily entertained, 
and warmly supported by the rest of the company ; and its discus- 
sion led to those incipient efforts, which, in 1804, issued in the 
organization of the British and Foreign Bible Society. The little 
spring of Bala soon became a stream large enough for a man to 
swim in ; and now it widens and deepens into a great river, on 
which float the merchandise of Zion, and the navies of God. 

Welshmen ! it is your privilege and honor, as well as your duty, 
to sustain this excellent institution. It is a nativje of Wales, born 
in your northern mountains. It is your own child, and you are 
bound to protect and support it to the extent of your ability. I call 
upon you as Welshmen, to aid an institution originating in Welsh 
philanthropy. I call upon you as Welsh Baptists, to help forward 
ail enterprise which sprang from the heart of a Welsh Baptist min- 
ister. I appeal to you in the language of another : — 

" The cause in which we are engaged is the cause of God, and 
must succeed. Divine goodness has inspired, divine wisdom and 
power will sustain it. The Bible will be carried throughout the 
habitable globe. Nor deserts— nor oceans — nor Alpine solitudes 
— nor Himalayan heights, will obstruct its progress. It will' go 
through polar ice and equatorial fire, w^herever a soul may possibly 
be saved. It will go on victorious, like the sword of the Lord and 
of Gideon, carrying every thing before it. Error and delusion must 
vanish as the mists of the morning before the rising splendor of the 
sun. The powers of darkness must recede like spectres before the 
bursting of the day-spri-ng from on high. False g^ds and their 
altars must fall together in the dust. The followers of Confucius 
and Zoroaster will take up their cross and follow Christ. The 
wandering Arab will sit and sing at Messiah's feet ; and the deluded 
disciples of Mohammed, instead of going in painful pilgrimage to 
Mecca, will turn their penitent eyes to Calvary. The dark places 
of the earth will be enlightened, and the habitations of cruelty will 
become the abodes of love. Rivers will no longer roll with human 
blood, nor sacrificial fires be fed with human victims. Mothers 
will no longer destroy their innocent children,, nor aged parents be 
immolated by their inhuman offspring. Marriage will be instituted 



Messiah's kingdom. 151 

in places where it is now unknown, and savage practices be sup- 
planted by the virtuous institutions of the gospel. The Cannibal of 
New Zealand will be humanized, and the Caffre and the Hottentot 
clothed and in their right minds. The descendants of Abraham 
must be gathered from the four quarters of the earth ; Jerusalem 
arise and shine ; and the dejected Jordan roll his streams with joy. 
Barren climes will teem with life — dreary deserts blossom as the 
rose. Rivers of salvation will run down, the hills, and fertilize the 
plains. The Saviour will ride forth in the chariot of the. everlasting 
gospel, conquering and to conquer. Nations will fall down before 
him, and mounttains melt at his approach. And thus nation after 
nation will be converted, and empire upon empire will be con- 
quered; and .Christianity will spread from clime to clime, and from 
pole to pole ; until the final arrival of the blessed day, when the 
knowledge of the Lord shall literally cover the earth as the waters 
cover the 4^ep — when there shall b^ but one people and one God 
— when the millennial day shall burst upon the earth, like a flood of 
glory from orr high — when the trump of Jubilee shall sound, and 
countless million's of the redeemed shall sing, Hallelujah! the Lord 
God omnipotent reigneth !" 

■ Such, brethren, is the approaching triufnph of Emmanuel. The 
mighty ang^I, having found an old copy of the everlasting gospel, 
which the Pope had kept locked up in his bureau for many centu- 
ries, is flying in the midst of heaven, in sight of all fhe world. 
His progress is rapid as the wings of the wind, and his sweet 
strong voice is publishing the glad tidings to all people. But we 
look for greater' things than these. Following, comes another 
mighty angel, casting a great millstone into the sea, and saying — 
" Thus shall Babylon, that gi'eat city, be thrown down, and found 
no more at all." Another follows, crying with a loud voice — 
"Babylon is fallen, is fallen !" Another descends with the key 
and the chain, and binds the dragon in the bottomless pit. Then 
appears one " like unto the Son of INIan," sitting upon a white 
cloud, and wearing a golden crown. He thrifsts in his sharp 
sickle, and reaps the harvest of the earth, and gathers the wheat 
into, his" garner, the church. Again the sickle falls, and the vintage 
of \vickedness is gathered, ai)d cast into the wine-press of the 
wrath of -Almighty God. Then comes the voice of a great multi- 
tude, as of many waters and mighty thunderings — the blended 



152 MESSIAH S KINGDOM. 

minstrelsy of earth and heaven — ascribing salvation and dominion 
and glory to him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb for 
ever and ever. 

: The Prince of Darkness, with all his infernal hosts, and all his 
. allies upon earth, is fearfully agitated, as he witnesses the prepara- 
tion for the great decisive battle. " Why so much benevolence ? 
Why so many societies ? Why such extraordinary schemes and 
efforts ?" Nothing disturbs them so much as the sight of Em- 
manuel's troops, with their faces toward the field of Armageddon, 
led on by the Captain of their Salvation, on his white horse, w^ith 
his vesture dipped in blood. They know that this is the Lion of 
the tribe of Judah ; and the redness orf his apparel, reminding them 
of their defeat when he bruised their heads on Calvary, shoots con- 
sternation and anguish through all their ranks; and the. gates of 
hell tremble at the shaking of the iron rod in his hand, which shall 
dash them in pieces as a potter's vessel. But the saints are rejoic- 
ing in his train ; for they know that not one of the faithful shall 
perish — that not one of them shall be wounded — that each shall be 
more than conqueror, and all shall appear with songs of everlasting 
joy at the marriage supper of the Lamb. 

And now, my brethren, . children of my heavenly Father, of 
every name and order, loved with the same love, redeemed with 
the same blood, called by the same Spirit, clothed with the same 
garment, fed on the same manna, engaged in the same cause^the 
great Missionary enterprise — as you love the Savior, as you appre- 
ciate his salvation, as you desire the introduction of his millennial 
kingdom, we beseech you to give us a liberal contribution ! 

We are now ready to receive your money for Missionary pur- 
poses ; and while you are casting it into the treasury, let me 
remind you that your gold and your silver are beautiful birds plumed 
for flight, that Christian liberality is the scissors with which you 
may clip their wings, and a short winged bird is better than none. 
May we all act to-day "as stewards of the Lord, in the immediate 
presence of our Master, before whom we must • soon appear to 
account foj the use made of our talents ; and when the time of 
reckoning shall come, may each receive the gracious plaudit — 
'^ Well done, good and faithful servant ! thou hast been faithful over 
a few things, I will make thee ruler over many ! Enter thou into 
the joy of thy Lord!" Amen. 



SERMON VIII. 

THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. 



" Who, his own self, bore our sins, in his own lody, on the tree ,• that we,, 
being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness ^ by whose stripes ye were 
healed:'—! Peter ii. 24. 

What great encouragement to 'patience and fortitude is afforded 
the followers of Jesus, by the apostle's contrast of the light and 
transient afflictions of the present time, with the eternal weight of 
glory reserved for them in heaven ! How forcible the argument 
which he draws from the approaching scenes of another world, to 
urge Christians in this to a life of holiness and self-denial ! How 
vivid and terrible his picture of the dissolution of nature by the, 
great conflagration ! Imagine the heavens wrapped in dissolving 
flames, and the elements melting to the centre of the. globe. The 
victprious and inextinguishable fire towejrs to. the empyrean ; the 
magnificent palace of creation is lost in the smoke of its own burn- 
ing ; and the ear is stunned, and the soul is horrified, by the crash of 
its final fall. " Seeing then, that all these things must be dissolved, 
what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and 
godliness; looking for, and hasting unto the coming of the day of 
God:" "using all diligence to make your calHng and election 
sure ;" ''that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and 
blameless ;" that " so an abundant entrance may be ministered 
unto you, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ!'-' 

Such, substantially, is the arguipent. But the apostle employs 

another ; the Christian's obligation to imitate Christ, suffering for 

him as he suffered for us, with the same fortitude and resignation, 

though not to the same extent, nor for the same purpose. It is in 

20 153 



154 THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. 

this connection he uses the language of the text : — " Servants, be 
subject to your masters with all fear ; not only to the good and 
gentle, but also to the freward. For this is thankworthy, if a man 
for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For 
what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall, 
take it patiently ? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it,^ ye take 
it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye 
called : because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, 
that ye should follow his steps : who did no sin, neither was guile 
found in his mouth : who, wh^nTie was reviled, -reviled not again ; 
when he suffered, he threatened not ; but committed himself to him 
that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare our sins in his own 
body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto 
righteousness : by whose stripes ye were healed." We are to suffer 
for Christ as his disciples and- confessors ; he suffered for us as our 
substitute, our atoning sacrifice and Saviour. Let us attend, first, 
to this description of his sufferings ; and then to the end for which 
he endured them. 

I. The text describes Christ in his vicarious sufferings, asbearhig 
our sins ; bearing our sins, his own self; bearing our sins, his own 
self, in his own body ; and bearing our sins, his own self, in his own 
body, 07? the tree. 

1 .*" He bore our sins. To get a correct understanding of this 
expression, we must turn to the record of the ordinance to which- 
it alludes, which is as follows: — " And when he hath made an. end 
of reconciling the holy place, -and the tabernacle of the congrega- 
tion, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat, and Aaron shall lay- 
both his hands upon the live goat," and confess over him all the 
iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, -in 
all their sins, putting them on the head of the goaf; and shall send 
him away, by the hand of a fit man, into the wilderness; and the 
goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities into a land not i^nhabited ; 
.and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness." But this part of 
the ceremony was preceded by another, of very solemn import. A 
goat was selected for a sin-offering. He was brought before the 
Lord, and Aaron put his hands upon him, and devoted him to 
death. He was slain, and his blood was sprinkled upon the altar 
and the mercy-seat. Then the sins of the children of Israel were 
laid upon the head of the other goat, and he was led forth, and 



THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. ' 15b 

sent away into the wilderness, to return no more. Both these goats 
represented Christ ; w^ho, as our Savior, answers to both ; at once, 
suffering for our sins, and bearing them away into the land of for- 
ge tfuln ess. 

Three things were found continually in the temple; fire, and 
blood, and- sweet incense. The fire denoted the wrath- of God 
against sin ; the blood prefigured the sacrificial sufferings of Christ; 
and the sweet incense typified his intercession at the right hand of 
the Father, on the ground of his vicarious death upon the cross. 
The goat of the sin-offering was bound and slain ; and then burnt 
up, with the fat thereof, upon the altar. So Christ was crucified 
for us without the gates of Jerusalem ; and his humanity vras con- 
sumed by the fire of God's holy indignation against sin, on the altar 
of his Divinity ; while from that altar ascended a column of the 
• sweetest incense to the heaven of heavens — " Father, forgive 
them!" In hell also there is fire, where sinners suffer upon the 
altars of eternal justice. Every sacrifice is salted with fire, and the 
smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever. But the 
black and sulphurous smoke of the bottomless pit is not a sweet 
smelling savor unto God, like the fumes of the sacrifice once offered 
on Calvary — a sacrifice which satisfied the claim of Keaven, and 
expiated the offence of earth. 

The form of expression used in our text is one which frequently 
occurs in the Old Testament, and signifies the enduring of punish^ 
ment. Of the impenitent sinner it is said, " He shall bear his 
iniquity"---that is, he shall endure the just punishment of his sins. 
He shall carry the burden alone, and for ever sink beneath the load, 
and mercy shall never come to his relief. Christ's bearing our 
sins, -then, signifies his enduring the punishment in our stead. 
.Glory to God, that every poor trembling sinner may cast his burden 
upon one who is able to sustain it, who has already sustained it in 
his stead ! The law passed the guilty, and arrested the guiltless. 
Jesus willingly gave himself up as the victim, saying — "I am he ; 
if ye seek me, let these go their way." His sufferings constitute 
the sea, in which are buried for ever the sins of his people ; sins of 
the greatest magnitude ; sins of the deepest dye. The Father, who 
turned his back upon the sufferings of his Son, hath said — "I will 
cast all thy sins behind my back, into the depth of the sea." This 
is the abyss, in which they are swallowed up, and seen no more. 



156 THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. 

2, He bore our sins, Ms own self. God and man were parties at 
variance. There was but one who could stand between them as. 
mediator, and he gave himself a substitute and sacrifice for the 
sinner. Uniting in his person the two natures, human and Divine, 
he was fully qualified for his work ; and by once offering himself, 
he satisfied the demands of the insulted law, and "became the 
author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him." He offered 
up himself, without the aid of another ; and it was his own blessed 
person that he threw between you and the destroying angel, between 
you and the mortal plague of sin, between you and the unquench- 
able fires of hell. 

None but Moses, the mediator, could penetrate the thick dark- 
ness in which, as in a pavilion, God dwelt, upon the mount of 
terror ; and none but Aaron, the high-priest, dared enter the holy 
of holies, and he only once a year, on the great day of atonement, 
with trembling steps, and sacrificial blood. So Jesus, the mediator 
of a better covenant, and high-priest of the true sanctuary, the sum 
and substance of all the types and shadows of the old dispensation, 
w^hen, in the garden of Geth^emane, he approached the black and 
terrible cloud, where God revealed the terrors of his justice, and the 
fierceness of his wrath, said to his disciples : — " Tarry ye here, 
while I go yonder. Ye cannot go ; the place is too. dreadful. I 
will go alone." Alone he went ; and as he drew near the furnace, 
his countenance was marvellously altered, his heart melted in the 
midst of his bowels, and the very substance of his life pressed 
through the pores of his skin. All the visible fire which flamed on 
the summit of Sinai, now breaks forth anew on Calvary ; and 
though unseen by man, envelopes in its burning the soul and the 
body of our glorious Substitute. Behold him rushing between you 
and the flames, shielding you, and quenching the flames in his 
blood ! 

3. He bore our sins, his own self, in his own body. Atonement 
was made for the sins of Israel by the blood of slaughtered beasts: 
But " the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer, 
sprinkling the unclean, sanctified only to the purifying of the flesh." 
The blood of Christ alone has power to "purge the conscience 
from dead works, to serve the living God." It was his own body, 
■ that our blessed Redeemer offered as a sacrifice for 'our sins, a 
sacrifice of a sweet savor unto God. The Divine person bore the 



THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. 157 

punishment of sins in human nature. " It was not possible that the 
blood of bulls and goats should take away sins." We hear the Son 
saying to the Father: — " Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, 
but a body hasfrthou prepared for me. I see that the services of the 
altar are of no avail, and are passing away. In burnt- offerings and 
sacrifices for sin thou hast no pleasure. At this moment, the great 
cause of difference between heaven and earth remains untakcn 
away. The bills are all uncancelled. The handwriting in the book 
of the law, and in the book of conscience, continues in full force 
unto this day. But lo, I come to do thy wiUy O my God. Yea, 
thy law is within my heart. I delight to honor its claims, while I 
save its violaters. I will obey, even unto the death of the cross, 
and expiate human transgres^on by my meritorious sufferings. 
Then, as first begotten from the dead,* will I declare the decree 
which thou didst read to me before the foundation of the world — 
' Thou art my Son ; this day have I begotten thee. Because I have 
bruised thee, and put. thee to grief, thou shalt see thy seed, and 
prolong thy days ; .and the. pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in thy 
hand. Because thou hast borne the "sins of many, thou shall justify 
many. Because thou hast been, numbered with the transgressors, 
and made intercession for them, thou shalt see of the travail of thy 
soul, and be satisfied. Because thou hast made thy soul an offering 
for sin, pouring if out unto death, I will divide thee a portion 
with the great, and thou shalt divide the spoil with the strong. I 
will make thee king in Zion, and thou shalt reign for ever and 
ever!'" 

The sufferings of the Son are accomplished, and the promise of- 
the Father is receiving its fulfilment; The law of the Spirit of Life 
hath gone forth ; and sinners, with songs of salvation, -are crowding 
to the cross ! 

4. He bore our sins, his own self, in his own body, on the tree. 
In Deut. xxi. 22, 23, we find that death by hanging on a tree was 
•^eemed an accursed death. Paul refers to this passage in the third 
chapter of his epistle to -the Galatians : — "As it is written ; cursed 
is every one that hangeth on a tree."" By consenting to crucifixion, 
Christ was '.' made a- curse for us." What shame and ignominy 
did he endure in our behalf! See him arrayed in royal purple, the 
reed of scorn in his hand, the crown of thorns upon his head, and 
tlie cross of infamy upon his back. He grows faint beneath his 





158 THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. 

burden. His murderers, fearing lest his woes should pass endur- 
ance before their cruel thirst for his blood could be satiated, compel 
S'imon of Cyrene to carry one end of the cross. Thus they move 
on to the summit of Calvary, They lay the tree upon the ground, 
and stretch the Son of God upon it, and nail his hands and his feet 
to the wood. It is reared on high, with its bleeding victim; and 
there he hangs, before the gazing world, and the wondering 
heavens ; suffering the most excruciating death ever invented, the 
most shameful in the sight of man, the most accursed in the sight of 
God. All the springs of consolation are sealed 4o the glorious 
sufferer; and he finds not a single drop of comfort in his great, 
extremity. True, the fountains of the deep are broken up, and the 
windows of heaven are opened ; but not to supply him with dripk 
who saith — " I thirst !" From below burst forth upon him the 
streams of hellish rage, a fiery deluge from the mouth of the dragon ; 
while from above Divine Justice pours down a cataract of wrath, 
overwhelming his soul with agony, and baptizing his body with 
blood. This is the baptism which he anticipated in talking with 
his disciples : — " I have a baptism to be baptized with, and hdw am 
I straitened till it be accompHshed!" Let us pause a moment to 
contemplate this baptism. It was the anguish of his soul, wringing 
the blood from his person, till the crimson dew stood thick upon his 
brow, and rolled down in great drops to the ground. The suffer- 
ings of his soul constituted the soul of his sufferings. "^ My soul 
is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." It was not the taunt of 
the rabble, the derision of the governors, nor the cruelly lacerating 
scourge, that Jesus dreaded in the garden, and deprecated in that 
mysterious agony. Nor was it the thorns, the nails, the tree, or the 
spear. It was the burden, O man ! of thy guilt ; the flaming curse 
of the law ; the felt displeasure of the Father against sin. When 
the martyrs suffered death for Jesus' sake, they rejoiced in the midst 
of the fire, for the Son of man was there to sustain them ; but when 
Christ suffered, the Just for the unjust, he felt the hidings of his 
Father's face, and cried affer him through the blackening heavens — 
'^ My God ! my God ! why hast thou forsaken me !" 

In the Bible we read of two very remarkable trees ; " the tree of 
the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the garden," and the 
tree of redemption high planted o.n "the place of skulls." Milton 



THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. 159 

has made the former the theme of his majestic song, which he 
opens with the following strain :— 

« Of man's first disobedience, and the fniit 
Of that forbidden tree, -vrhose mortal taste 
Brought death into the world, and all our wo, 
With loss of Eden, . * * * * * 
***** sing, Heavenly Muse !" 

But let me extol that mysterious tree of life on Golgotha, by 

which, — 

" One Greater Man 

Restores us, and regains the blissful seat !" 

" Sing, Heavenly Muse," of Jesus and his cross ! Sing of the 
wormwood and the gall, of the strife and the triumph of Calvary ! 
Let us compare these two trees. By the former, ''the first Adam" 
transgressed, and entailed ruin upon his posterity ; by the latter, 
"the second Adam" " became obedient unto death," and "brought 
life and immortalit}'' to light." By a forbidden approach to the one, 
the chain of the covenant was broken. Paradise forfeited, God's image 
and favor lost, the league with hell signed, and sealed, and ratified, 
and the whole earth converted into a province of the Prince of 
Darkness, and delivered up to the despotism of Sin and Death ; 
but four thousand yeafs afterward, the Son of God took his stand 
on the other, "wrestled gloriously with the tyrant usurpers, dethroned 
Satan, condemned and abolished Sin, swallowed up Death in 
victory, disannulled the league of earth with hell, restored to 
believers the favor and image of God, reopened the gates of the 
forfeited Eden to the exiles, and established a new and everlasting 
covenant of gr-ace. The blood of Jesus cancelled the debt of man, 
and quenched the wrath of God ; and from all them that .obey him, 
it will, ultimately wash away all the stains of sin, and all the dust 
of death. This is the newly consecrated way into the holy of 
holies; this is eternal life ! " Sing, Heavenly Muse," once more' 

" We too with him are dead, 
And shall with him arise: 
The cross on which he bows his head 
Shall lift us to the skies !" 

Thu's, the S"on of God, " his own self, bore our sins, in his own 
body, on the tree." The burden beneath which he fainted was 
our burden, and would have sunk us to perdition. It was for us 



160 THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. . 

he suffered and died. Though our iniquities were laid on him, they 
were yet our iniquities. He endured the punishment in our stead. 
He stood between us and the upHfted arm of Justice ; and the 
sword which would have cleft our souls asunder, was sheathed in 
Emmanuel's heart. His righteousness, imputed to us, and appro- 
priated by faith, is ^^ the righteousness of God, which is unto all 
and upon all them that believe," covering their sins, and rendering 
them " accepted in the Beloved." 

Can we pass by mount Calvary, and gaze upon that wondrous 
sight, and still remain unmoved ? Have we no tears of gratitude 
and love ? Pause we not to wonder and adore ? O the depth of 
the riches ! the riches of his wisdom ! the riches of his grace ! 

n. Having thus spoken of Christ's vicarious sufferings, let us 
notice a little more particularly the end for which he endured them. 
" That we, being dead to sins,» should live unto righteousness ; by 
whose stripes ye were healed." 

This death unto sin, and this new life unto righteousness, denote 
the sanctification of the soul " by the renewing of the Holy Spirit." 
The " spiritually minded" man is made, through the grace of God, 
a "partaker of the Divine nature." He has received a new prin- 
ciple, whereby his lusts and corruptions are mortified, crucified, 
and slain. The right hand that offended is cut off; the right eye 
that offended is plucked out. He delights in the law of God ; he 
feels a 'strong desire, and makes strenuous efforts, to conform him- 
self, in heart and life; to its holy requirements. Made free from the 
dominion and condemning power of sin, he still needs, however, 
the aid of the Holy Spirit, to crucify the old man ; to live soberly, 
righteously, and godly,' in this present evil world ; to die to sins, 
and live unto righteousness. In the court of heaven, be. is justified 
by the righteousness of Christ ; but before men, he is justified by 
his own righteousness. " Let your light so shine before men, that 
.they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in 
heaven." Be as a candle, nat under a bushel, but on a candle- 
stick, enlightening all around you. Paul to the Ephesians says, 
that Christ loved the Church, and gave himself for it, that he might 
sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word ; that 
he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or 
wrinkle, or any such thing, but tSiat it should be holy and without 



THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. 161 

blemish. God hath not called us unto uncleanness but unto holi- 
ness. Let us, therefore cleanse ourselves from all filthiness — from 
all manper of pollution — of the flesh and spirit, perfecting lioliness 
in the fear of God; For it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy : 
holy in all manner of conversation ; holy in all stations, relations, 
and coaditions of life — as husbands and wives, parents and chil- 
dren, masters and servants ; and this always, and in all places — at 
home and abroad, in private and in, public,' in prosperity and 
adversity. Our conversation should be such as becometh the 
nature and requirements of the gospel of 'Christ. Forgetting the 
things that are behind, we should be ever pressing forward towards 
those things that are before — not as though we had already attained, 
either were already perfect ; but making perfection our mark ; for 
we know ijot yet what we shall "lie, but one thing we do know — 
that when he shall appear, we shall be like him ! Then, and not 
till then, shall we bfe satisfied^ when we awake in his likeness. We 
must be conformed to the image ef God's "Son in this world, other- 
wise we cannot Ijave the enjoyment of him in the world' to come. 
We^taust have the spijit .of 'Christ,. to love righteousness, and .to 
hate iniquity. We must imitate his example in zeal and activity, 
doing our Father's work while the day lasts. Die to sin, we must. 
'' For if ye liv.e» after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye through the 
spirit do* mortify the "deeds of the body^, y^ shall live.". Mortify 
therefore your fnembers which are upon the earth. Put off the old 
man with all his deceitful lysts, and put on the new man, which, 
after God, is created- in righteousness and true holiness. Abstain 
from those fleshy lusts that war against Ihe soul ; always keeping in 
mind, that they that are Christ's have crucified the fl'esh, with the 
afifeotions and lusts-, To die to 'sin, implies a' perfect hatred of it, 
deep sorrow and contrition on account of it, and a constant desire 
and effort to forsake it. We should conscientiously use all the 
means of grace, and depend entirely upon the grace of God, as that 
by which alone we can obtain a- victory-— final and complete, — over 
all our enemies, the flesh,! the world, and fhe/4evil. Be sober, be 
vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a- roaring lion goeth 
about, seeking whom )ie may devour. Good reason have you to 
pray without ceasing, that you may be made strong in the Lord, 
and in the power of his might. You must put on the whole armoi 
21 ' o2 



162 THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. 

of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil-. 
Your loins must be girt about with truth. The breast-plate of 
righteousness you must wear. Your heart must be protected by 
the shield of faith, and your feet shod with the preparation of the 
gospel of peace. Forget not the helmet of salvation, nor the sword 
of the Spirit, nor to write often to the King — directing to the care 
of Jesus, that your petitions may not fail — " Praying always with 
all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto 
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." As ye for- 
merly yielded your members servants to uncleanness, even so now 
yield your members servants of righteousness unto holiness. Live 
unto righteousness. Yield yourselves up unto God, as those that 
are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments -of 
righteousness unto God. Conform to his revealed will, and keep 
an eye single to his glory in the performance of every duty. 

To produce -in his people this happy change, was the end of 
Messiah's sufferings. But this was not all,- for the apostle adds, — 
''By whose stripes ye were healed." Divine philosophy! super- 
natural science ! transcending all original conception of men and 
angels ! Who could ever have dreamed of healing by his stripes, 
soundness by his wounds, pleasure by his pains, arid life eternal by 
his death! 'W6 are afflicted by the old inveterate plague of sin,- 
but there is balm in Gilead, and a Physician there. His blood 
alone gan cure the malady, and that is infallible. All the way from 
Bethlehem to Calvary, he isas employed in preparing his materia 
medica. The Gospel is the great store-house of this precious 
preparation. It is always full ; it is always free ; and the sign 
over its entrance is — "Able to save to the uttermost." The Holy 
Spirit is continually making the application, and all who come are 
cured. 

It is a matter of all others the most momentous, that we knew 
our personal interest in these things. If we be not dead to sins, 
and alive unto righteousness — if we be not healed by the stripes of 
Jesus— his sufferings upon the cro^s, and our theoretical faith in 
their vicarious character and saving -power, will profit us nothing. 
^'If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his." 
There is a vast difference between sa notification and morality. A 
man may perform many excellent deeds, while the principle that 



THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. 163 

actuates him is averse to true godliness. Happy are they, whose 
sins are pardoned, whose persons are justified, and whose bodies 
are become temples of the Holy Ghost. The Lord is their God and 
Father. They have passed from death unto life, and shall not 
come into condemnation. " There is now no condemnation to 
them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but 
after the Spirit ; for the law of the Spirit of life, in Christ Jesus, 
hath made me free from the law of sin and death." 



SERMON IX. 

THE PURIFICATION OF CONSCIENGE. 



^^How much more shall the hlood of Christy who, through the eternal Spirit, 
offered himself without -spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to 
serve the living God?^^ — Heb. ix. 14. 

The Hebrew Christians, to whom the apostle wrote, were well 
acquainted with the laws of ceremonial purification .by the blood of 
beasts and birds, for by blood almost every thing was purified in 
the service of the temple. But it is only the blood of Christ that 
can purge the human conscience. In speaking of this purification, 
as presented in our text, let us notice-^the object^ the mean's^ and 
the end, 

I. The object of this purification is the conscience ; which all 
the- sacrificial blood shed, from the gate of Eden, down to the 
extinction of the fire on -the Jewish altar, was not sufficient to 
purge. 

What is the cons,cience7 An inferior judge, the representative of 
Jehovah, holding his court in the human soul; according to whose 
decision we feel either confidence and joy in God, or condemnation 
and tormenting fear. His judicial power is graduated by the degree 
of moral and evangelical light which has been shed upon his palace. 
His knowledge of the will and the character of God is the law by 
which he justifies or condemns. His intelligence is the measure of 
nis authority ; and the perfection of knowledge would be the in- 
fallibility of conscience. 

This faithful recorder and deputy judge is with us thrQugh all the 
jciurney of life, and wilL accompany us with his register over the 
river-Jordan, whether to Abraham's bosom or the society of the 
164 



THE PURIFICATION OF CONSCIENCE. 165 

ricli man in hell. While conscience keeps a record on earth, 
Jfehovah keeps, a record in heaven ; and when both books shall be 
opened in the final judgment, there shall be found a perfect corre- 
spondence. When temptations are presented, the understanding 
opposes them, but the carnal mind indulges them, and there is a 
contest between the judgment and the will, and we hesitate which 
to obey, till the warning bell of conscience rings through the soul, 
and gives distinct notice' of his awful recognition; and when we 
turh away recklessly from his faithful admonitions, Vfe hear low 
mutterings of wrath stealing along the avenues, and the quick 
sound of writing-pens in the recording office, causing ever}' denizen 
of the mental palace to tremble. 

There is .a good conscience, and an evil conscience. The work of 
Both, howeverj is the same ; consisting in keeping a true record of 
the actions of men, and passing sentence upon them, according to 
their deserts. Conscience is called good or evil only with reference 
to the character of its record and its sentence. If the record is one 
of virtues, and the sentence one of approval, the Conscience is 
good ; if the record is one of vices, and the sentence one of con- 
demnation, the conscience is evil. 

Some have a guilty conscience ; that is, a conscience that holds 
up to their view a bla'ck catalogue of crimes, and rings in their ears 
the sentence of condemnation. If you have such a conscience, 
you are invited to Jesus, that you may find peace to your souls. 
He is ever in his office, receiving all who come, and blotting out 
with his own blood the handwriting which is against them. 

But some have ' a despairing conscience. They think that their 
crimen are loo great to be forgiven. The registry of guilt, and the 
decree of death, hide from their eyes the mercy of God, and the 
merit of Christ. Their sins rise -like mountains between them and 
heaven. But let -them" look away to Calvary. If their sins are^a 
thousand times more numerous than their tears, the blood of Jesus 
is ten thousand times more po^verful than their sins. " He is able 
to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him, seeing he 
ever liveth to make intercession for them." 

And others have a dark and hardened conscience. They are so 
deceived, that they '^ cry peace and safety, when destruction is at 
the door." They are " past feeling, having the conscience seared 
as with a hot iron." They have sold themselves to work evil; to 



166 THE PURIFICATION OF CONSCIENCE. 

eat sin like bread, and drink iniquity like water. They have bribed 
or gagged the recorder and accuser within them. They will 
betray the just cause of the righteous, and slay the messengers of 
salvation, and think that they are doing God service. John the 
Baptist is beheaded, that Herod may keep his oath of honor. A 
dead fish cannot swim against the stieam ; but if the king'^ con- 
science had been alive and faithful, he w^ould have said : — " Girl, I 
promised to give thee thy request, even to the half of my kingdom ; 
but thou hast requested too much ; for the head of Messiah's herald 
is more valuable than my whole kingdom, and all the kingdoms of 
the world !" But he had not the fear of God before. his eyes, and 
the proud fool sent and beheaded the prophet in his cell. 

A good conscience is a faithful conscience, a lively conscience, a 
peaceful conscience^, a conscience void of offence toward God and 
man, resting in the shadow of the cross, and assured of an interest 
in its infinite merit. It is the victory of faith unfeigned, working 
by love, and purifying the heart. It is always found in the neigh- 
borhood, and society of its brethren ; " a broken heart, and a con- 
trite spirit ;" an intense hatred of sin, and an ardent love of holiness ; 
a spirit of fervent prayer and supplication, and a life of scrupulous 
integrity and charity ; and above all, an humble confidence in the 
mercy of God, through the mediation of Christ. These constitute 
the brotherhood of Christianity ; and wherever they abound, a good 
conscience is never lacking. They are its very element and life ; 
its food, its sunshijie, and its vital air. 

Conscience was a faithful recorder and judge under the law ; and 
notwithstanding the revolution which has taken place, introducing 
a new constitution, and a new administration, Conscience still 
retains his office ; and when "purged from dead works to serve the 
living God," is appropriately called a good conscience. 

II. The means of this purification is " the blood of Christ, who 
through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God." 

Could we take in, at a single view, all the bearings of " the 
blood of Christ," as exhibited in the gospel, what an astonishing 
light would it cast upon the condition of man ; the character of 
God ; the nature and requirements of his law ; the dreadful con- 
sequences of sin ; the wondrous expiation of the cross ; the recon- 
ciliation of Heaven and earth ; the blessed union of the believer 
with God in Christ, as a just God and a Savior; and tlie whole 



THE PURIFICATION OF CONSCIENCE. 167 

scheme of- our justification, sanctification, and redemption, throus^h 
free, sovereign, infinite, and unspeakable grace ! 

There is no knowledge like the knowledge of Christ, for the 
excellency of which the apostle counted all things but loss. Christ 
is the Sun of Righteousness, in whose light we see the tops of the- 
mountains of immortality, towering above the dense clouds which 
overhang the valley of death. All the wisdom which philosophers 
have learned from nature and providence, compared with that which 
is afforded by the Christian Revelation, is like the ignis fatuus 
compared with the sun. The knowledge of Plato, and Socrates, 
and all the renowned sages of antic^ity, was nothing to the know- 
ledge of tlie feeblest believer in " the blood of Christ." 

" The blood of Christ" is of infinite value. There is none like 
ft flowing in human veins. It was the blood of a man, but of a 
man who knew no iniquity ; the blood of a sinless humanity, in 
which dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; the blood of 
the- second Adam, who is" the Lord from heaven, and a quickening 
spirit upon earth. It pressed through eveiy pore of his body in 
the garden ; and gushed from his head, his h^nds, his feet, and his 
side, upon the cross. I approach with fear and trembling, yet with 
humble confidence andjo}^ I take off my shoes, like Moses, as 
he draws near the burning ^bush ; for I hear a voice coming forth 
from the altar, saying — *^ I and my Father are one ; I afn the true 
God, and eternal life." 

The expression, " the blood of Christ," includes the whole of 
his obedience to the moral law, by the imputation of which we are 
justified ; and all the sufferings of his soul and his body as our 
Mediator, by which an atonement is made for our sins, and a foun- 
tain opened to wash them all away. This is the spring whence 
rise the rivers of forgiving and sanctifying grace. 

In the representation which the text gives us of this redeeming 
blood, are several points worthy of our special consideration : — 

1. It is the blood of Christ ; the appointed Substitute and Saviour 
of men; "the Lamb of God, that taketh away. the sins of the 
world." 

2. It is the blood of Christ, who (^ered himself . His humanity 
was the only sacrifice which would answer the demands of justice, 
and atone for the transgressions of mankind. Therefore "he made 
his soul an offering for sin." 



168 THE PURIFICATION OF CONSCIENCE. 

3. It is the blood of Christ, who offered himself to God. It was 
the eternal Father, whose broken law must be repaired, whose dis- 
honored government must be vindicated, and whose flaming indig- 
nation must be turned away. The well beloved Son must me^t the 
Father's frown, and bear the Father's curse for us. All the Divine 
attributes called for the offering; and without it, could not be 
reconciled to the sinner. 

4. It is the blood of Christ, who offered himself to God, imthout 
spot. This was a perfect sacrifice. The victim was without blemish 
or defect ; the altar was complete in all its appurtenances ; and the 
high-priest possessed every cosiceivable qualification for his work. 
Christ was at once victim, altar, and high-priest; ''holy, harmless, 
and undefiled ;" " God manifest in the flesh." Being himself 
perfect God, and perfect man, and perfect Mediator between God 
and man, he perfects for ever all .them that believe. 

5. It is the blood of Christ, who offered himself to God, without 
spot, through the eternal Spirit. By th£ eternal Spirit here, we are 
to, understand, not the third person of the Godhead, but the Second ; 
Christ's own Divine nature, which was, co-eternal with, the Father 
before the world was ; and which, in the fulness of time, seized on 
humanity, sinless and immaculate humanity, and offered it body and 
soul, as a sacrifice for human sins. The eternal Spirit was at once the 
pt-iest that offered the victim, and the altar that sanctified the offer- 
ing. Without this agency, there could have been no atonement. 
The offering of mere hom^ity, howeyer spotless, aside from the 
merit derived from its connection with Divinity, could not have 
been a sacrifice of sweet-smelling savor unto God. 

6. It is the blood of Christ, who offered himself to God,, without 
spot, through the eternal Spirit, that- he might purge your conscience. 
As the typical sacrifices under the law purified men from ceremonial 
defilement, so the real sacrifice <5f the Gospel saves the believer 
from moral pollution. Blood was the life, of all the services of the 
tabernacle made with hands, and gave significance and utility to 
all the rites of the former dispensation. By blood the covenant 
between God and his people was sealed. By blood the ofl[icers and 
vessels of the sanctuary were consecrated. By blood the children 
of Israel were preserved in Egypt from the destroying angel. So 
the blood of Christ is our justification, sanctification, and redemp- 
tion. All the blessings of the gospel flow to us through the blood 



THE PURIFICATION OF CONSCIENCE.. 169 

of tlie Lamb. Merc}^, when she writes our pardon, and when she 
registers our names in " the Book of Life," dips her pen in the 
blood of the Lamb. And the vast company that John saw before 
.tiie throne had come out of great tribulation, having "washed 
their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." 

The children of Israel were delivered from Egypt, on the very 
night that the paschal lamb was slain, and its blo©d sprinkled upon 
the doorposts, as if their liberty and life were procured by its 
death. This. typified the necessity and power of the atonement, 
xwliichis the very heart of the gospel, and the spiritual hfe of the 
believer. In Egypt, however, there was a lamb slain for every 
family ; but under the new covenant God has but one family, and 
one Lamb is sufficient for their sadvation. 

In the cleansing of* the leper, several things were necessary ; as 
running water, cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop, and the finger of the 
priest ; but it was 'the blood that gave efficacy to the whole. So it 
is in the purification of the conscience. Without the shedding of 
blood, the leper could not be cleansed ; without the shedding of 
blood, the conscience cannot be purged. " The blood of Christ" 
seals every precept, every promise, every warning, of the New 
Testament. " The blood of Christ" renders the Scriptures "pro- 
fitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in 
righteousness." " The blood of Christ" gives efficiency to the 
pulpit ; and when " Jesus Christ and him crucified" is shut out, 
the virtue is wanting which heals and restores the soul. It is only 
through the crucifixion of Christ, that "the old man" is crucified 
in the believer. It is only through his obedience unto death, even 
the death of the cross, that our dead souls are quickened, to serve 
God in newness of life. 

Here rest our hopes. "The foiindation of God standeth sure." 
The bill of redemption being presented by -Christ, was read by the 
prophets, and passed unanimously in both houses of parliament. 
. It had its final reading in the lower house, when Messiah hung on 
Calvary; and passed three days afterward, when he rose from the 
dead. It was introduced to the upper house by the Son of God 
himself, who appeared before the throne " as a lamb newly slain," 
and was carried by acclamation of the heavenly hosts. Then it 
became a law of the kingdom of heaven, and the Holy Ghost was 
sent down to establish it in the hearts of men. It is " the perfect 
22 P 



170 THE PURIFICATION OF CONSCIENCE. 

law of liberty," by which God is reconciling the world unto him- 
self. It is " the law of the Spirit of Life," by which he is " purg- 
ing our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." 

III. The end of this purification is twofold : — that we may cease 
from dead works, and serve the living God. 

1. The works of unrenewed souls are all " dead works," can be 
no other than *^ dead works," because the agents are " dead in tres- 
passes and sins." They proceed from "the carnal mind,", which 
*^ is enmity against God," which " is not subject to the law of God, 
neither indeed can be." How can a corrupt tree bring forth good 
fruit, or a corrupt fountain send forth pure water ?' 

But " the blood of Christ is intended to '' purge the conscience 
from dead works." The apostle says — "Ye are not redeemed 
with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversa- 
tion, received by tradition from y-bur fathers ; but with .the precious 
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish, and without spot." 
The Jews were in a state of bondage to the ceremonial law, toiling 
at the " dead works,^' the vain and empty forms, which could never 
take away sin ; and unjustified and unregenerate men are still 
captives of Satan^ slaves of sin and death, tyrannized over by various 
evil habits and propensities, which are invincible to all things but 
"the blood of Christ." He died to redeem, both from the burde;ns 
of the Mosaic ritual, and from the despotism of moral . evil — to 
purge the conscience of both Jew and Gentile "from dead works, 
to serve the living God." 

2. We cannot " serve the living God," without this preparatory 
purification of conscience. If our guilt is uncancelled — if the love 
of sin is not dethroned — the service of the knee and the lip is 
nothing but hypocrisy. "If we regard iniquity in our hearts, the 
Lord will not hear us." Cherishing what he hates, all our offerings 
are an abominatian to him ; and we can no more stand in his holy 
presence than the dry stubble can stand before a flaming fire. He 
who has an evil conscience, flees from the face of God, as did 
Adam in the garden. Nothing but " the blood of Christ," applied 
by the Holy Spirit, can remove the sinner's guilty fear, and enable 
him to draw nigh to God in the humble confidence of acceptance 
through the Beloved. 

The service of the living God must flow from a new principle 
of life in the soul. The Divine word must be the rule of our actions. 



THE PURIFICATION OF CONSCIENCE. 171 

The Divine will must be consulted and obeyed. We must remem- 
oer that God is holy, and jealous of his honor. The consideration 
that he is everywhere, and sees every thing, and will bring every 
work into judgment, must fill us with reverence and godly fear. 
An ardent love for his law and his character must supplant the love 
of sin, and prompt to a cheerful and impartial obedience. 

And let us remember that he is " the living God." Pharaoh is 
dead, Herod is dead, Nero is dead; but Jehovah is ''the living 
God," and it is a fearful thing to have him for an enemy. Death 
cannot deliver from his hand. Time, and even eternity, cannot 
limit his holy anger. He has manifested, in a thousand instances, his 
hatred of sin ; in the destruction of the old world, the burning of 
Sodom and Gomorrah, the drowning of Pharaoh and his host in the 
sea ; and I tell thee, sinner, except thou repent, thou shalt likewise 
perish! 0, think what punishment '' the living God" can inflict 
upon his adversaries — the loss of all good — the endurance of all 
evil — the undying worm — the unquenchable fire — the blackness of 
darkness for ever ! 

The gods of the heathen have no life in them, and they who 
worship them are like unto them. But our God is " the living God," 
and " the God of the living." If you are united to him by faith 
in " the blood of Christ," your souls are " quickened together with 
him," and " the power which raised him from the dead shall also 
quicken your mortal' body." 

May the Lord awaken those who are dead in trespasses and sins, 
and revive his work in the midst of the years, and strengthen the 
feeble graces of his people, and bless abundantly the labors- of his 
servants, so that many consciences may be purged from dead works 
to serve the living God ! 

« There is a fountain filled with blood, 
Drawn from Emmanuel's veins, 
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, 
Lose all their guilty stains. . 
<< The dying thief rejoiced to see 
That fountain in his day ; 
And there may I, as vile as he. 
Wash all my sins away. 
« Dear dying Lamb ! thy precious blood 
Shall never lose its power. 
Till all the ransomed sons of God 
Are saved to sin no more !" 



SERMON X. 

THE CEDAR OF GOD. 



" Thus saitk the Lord God,' Twill also take of the highest 'branch of the high 
cedar, and will set it ,• / vnll crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender 
one, and plant it upon a high mountain and eminent ,• in the mountain of the, 
height of Israel will I plant it .• and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and 
be a goodly cedar ,- and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing ; irl the 
shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell ,- and all the trees of the field shall 
know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree, and have exalted the' low 
tree — have dried up the green tree, and, have made the dry tree to flourish. I, the 
Lord, have spoken, and I have done it.^^ — ^Ezek. xviL 22 — 24, 

You perceive that our text abounds in the beautiful 'language of 
allegory. In the context is portrayed the captivity of the children 
of Israel, and especially the carrying away of the royal family, by 
the king of Babylon. Here God promises to restore them to their 
own land, in greater prosperity than ever ; and to raise up Messiah, 
the Branch, out of the house of David, to be their king. All this 
is presented in a glowing figurative style, dressed out in all the 
"wealth of poetic imagery, so peculiar to the orientals. Nebuchad- 
nezzar, the great eagle— the long-winged, full-feathered, embroi- 
dered eagle — is represented as coming to Lebanon, and taking the 
highest branch of the tallest cedar, bearing it off a^ the crow bears 
the acorn in its beak, and planting it in the land of traffic. The 
Lord God, in his turn, takes the highest branch of the same cedar, 
and plants it on the high mountain of Israel, where it flourishes and 
bears fruit, and the fowls of the air dwell under the shadow of its 
branches. 

We will make a few general remarks on the character of the pro- 
mise, and then pass to a more particular consideration of its import. 

I. This is an evangelical promise. It relates to the coming and 
172 



THE CEDAR OF GOD. 173 

kingdom of Messiah. Not one of the kings of Judah since the 
captivity, as Boothroyd well observes, answers to the description 
here given. Not one of them was a cedar whose branches could 
afford shadow and shelter for all the fowls of heaven. But the 
prophecy receives its fulfilment in Christ, the desire of all nations, 
to whom the ends of the earth shall come for salvation. 

This prophecy bears a striking resemblance in several particulars, 
to the parable of the mustard-seed, delivered by our Lord. The 
mustard-seed, said Jesus, " is the least of all seeds ; but when it is 
grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that 
"the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." So 
the delicate twig of the young and tender branch becomes a goodly 
cedar, and under its shadow dwell all fowl of every wing. The 
prophecy and the parable are alike intended to represent the growth 
and prosperity of Messiah's kingdom, and the gracious protection 
and spiritual refreshment afforded to its subjects. Christ is the 
mustard plant, and cedar of God ; and to him shall the gathering 
of the people be ; and multitudes of pardoned sinners shall sit under 
his shadow with great delight, and his fruit shall be sweet to their 
taste. 

This prophecy is a promise of the true, and faithful, and immu- 
table God. It begins with — " Thus saith the Lord ©od, I will do 
thus and so ;" and concludes with—" I, the Lordj have spoken, 
and I have done it." There is no peradventure with God. His 
word is for ever settled in heaven, and cannot fail of its fulfilment. 
When he says — "I promise to. pay," there is no failure, whatever 
the sum.. The bank of heaven cannot break. It is the oldest and 
best in the universe. Its_ capital is infinite; its credit is infallible. 
The mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, is 
able to fulfil to the utmost all his engagements. He can do any 
thing that does not imply a contradiction, or a moral absurdity. 
He could take upon himself the form of a servant, and become 
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross ; but he can never 
forget or disregard his promise, any more than he can cease tq 
exist. His nature renders both impossible. Heaven and earth 
shall pass away, but his- word shall not pass away. Every jot and 
tittle shall be fulfilled. This is the consolation of the church. 
Here rested the patriarchs and the prophets. Here reposes the 
faith of the saints to the end of time. God abideth faithful ; he 

v2 



1T4 THE CEDAR OF GOD. 

cannot deny himself. Our text is already partially verified in the 
advent of Christ, and the establishment of his church ; the continu- 
ous growth of the gospel kingdom, indicates -its progressive fulfil- 
ment ; and we anticipate the time, as not far distant, when the 
whole earth shall be overshadowed by the branches of the cedar 
of God. 

II. We proceed to consider, with a little more particularity, the 
import of this evangehcal. prophecy. It describes the character and 
mediatorial kingdom of Christ, and the blessings which he confers 
upon his people. 

1. His character and mediatorial kingdom. "I will take of the 
highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it ; I will crop oflf 
from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and plant it upon 
a high mountain and eminent ; in the mountain of the height of 
Israel will I plant it." 

Christ, as concerning the flesh, is of the seed of Abraham — a rod 
issuing from the stem of Jesse, and a branch growing out of his 
root. "As the new vine is found in the cluster, and one saith, 
destroy it not, for a blessing is in it;" so the children of Israel 
were spared, notwithstanding their perverseness and their back- 
slidings, because they were the cluster from which should be 
expressed in due time the new wine of the kingdom^because from 
them was to come forth the blessing, the promised seed in whom 
all the families of the earth shall be blessed. The Word that was 
in the beginning with God, one with God in essence and in attri- 
butes, in the fulness of time assumed our nature, and tabernacled 
and dwelt among us. Here is the union of God and man. Here 
is the great mystery of godliness — God manifest in the. flesh. But 
I have only time now to take oflf my shoes, and draw near the 
burning bush, and gaze a moment upon this great sight. 

The Father is represented as preparing a body for his Son. He 
goes to the quarry to seek a stone, a foundation stone for Zion. 
The angel said to Mary : — " The Holy Ghost shall come upon 
thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee ; there- 
fore that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the 
Son of God." The eternal lays hold on that nature which is 
hastening downward, on the flood of sin, to the gulf of death and 
destruction, and binds it to himself. Though made in the likeness 
of sinful flesh, he was holy, harmless, and undefiled. He did no 



THE CEDAR OF GOD. 175 

iniquity, neither ^vas guile found in his mouth. The rod out of the 
stem of Jesse is also Jehovah our righteousness. The child born 
in B'ethlehem is the mighty God. The Son given to Israel is the 
everlasting Father. He is of the seed of Abraham, according to 
the flesh ; but he is also the true God and eternal life. Two natures 
and three ■ offices meet mysteriously in his person. He is at once 
the bleeding sacrifice, the sanctifying altar, the officiating priest, the 
prophet of Israel, and- the Prince of Peace. All this was necessary, 
that he might become " the author of et-ernal salvation to all them 
that obey him." 

Hear Jehovah speaking of Messiah and his kingdom : — " Why 
do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing ? The 
kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel 
together against the Lord, and against his anointed^ Yet have I 
set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree 
by whicb he is to rule his redeemed empire." That decree, long 
kept secret, was gradually announced by the prophets ; but at the 
new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, Jehovah himself proclaimed it 
aloud, to the astonishment -of earth, the terror of hell, and the joy 
of heaven: — " Thou art my Son ; this day have I begotten thee. 
Come forth from the womb of the grave, thou whose goings forth 
have been from of old, even from everlasting. Ask of me, and I 
shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost 
parts of the earth for thy possession. I will exalt thee to the throne 
of the universe, and thou shalt be chief in the chariot of the gospel. 
Thou shalt ride through the dark places of the earth, with the lamps 
of eternal life suspended to thy chariot, enlightening the world. 
Be wise now, therefore, ye kings ; be instructed ye judges of the 
earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when 
his wrath is kindled but a little. Let no man withstand him. 
Let no man seek to stay his progress. Herod, Pilate, Caiaphas, 
stand off'! clear the way ! lest ye be crashed beneath the wheels of 
his chariot/ for that which is a savor of life to some, is to others a 
savor of death; and if this stone shall fall upon you, it shall grind 
you to powder !" 

Behold, here is wisdom ! All other mysteries are toys in com- 
parison with the mystery of the everlasting gospel — the union of 
three persons in th€ Godhead — the union of two natures in the 



176 THE -CEDAR OF GOD. 

Mediator. — the union of believers to Christ, as the branches to the 
vine-^jthe union of alt the saints together in him, who is the head 

of the body, and the chief stone of the corner — the mighty God 
transfixed to the cross^the son of Mary ruling in the heaven of 
heavens — the rod of Jesse becoming the sceptre of universal 
dominion — the Branch growing out of his root, the little delicate 
branch which a lamb might crop for its food, terrifying and, taming 
the serpent, the lion, the leopard, the tiger, and the wolf, and trans- 
forming into gentleness and love the wild and savage nature of all 
the beasts of prey upon the mountain ! " And such," old Corin- 
thian sinners, "were some of you ; but ye are washed, ye are sanc- 
tified, ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the 
spirit of our God." And such, my brethren, were some of you ; 
but ye have been made a new creation in Christ Jesus ; old things 
are passed away, and all things are become new. Ye are dead, 
and your life is hid with Christ in God. He is one with the Father, 
and ye are one in him ; united and interwoven, like the roots of the 
trees in the forest of Lebanon; so that none can injure the least 
disciple of Christ, without touching the apple of his eye, and 
grieving all his members. 

2. The blessings which he confers upon his people. " It shall 
bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and. be a goodly cedar , and 
under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing ; in the shadow of the 
branches thereof shall they dwell ; and all the trees of the field 
shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree, and 
have exalted the low tree — have dried up the green tree, and have 
made the dry tree to flourish."" 

Christ is a fruitful tree. " The tree is known by his fruit. Men 
do not gather grapes of thorns, nor figs of thistles. Every good 
tree bringeth forth good fruit, and every evil tree bringeth forth evil 
fruit." This is a singular, supernatural tree. Though its top 
reaches to the heaven of -heavens, its branches fill the universe, and 
bend down to the earth, laden with the. precious fruits of pardon, 
and holiness, and eternal life. On the day of Pentecost, we see 
them hang so low over Jerusalem, that the very murderers of the 
Son of God reach and pluck and eat, and three thousand sinners 
feast on more than angels' food. That was the feast of first-fruits. 
Never before was there such a harvest and such a festival. Angels 
know nothing of the delicious fruits of the tree of redemption 



TItE CEDAR OF GOD. 177 

They know nothing of the joy of pardon, and the spirit of adoption. 
The -^bride of thfe Lamb alone can say :^-" As the apple tree among 
th^ tsees of fhe forest, so is piy beloved among th^ sons. I sat 
clown snder his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was -sweet 
to my taste. He brought me also to his banqueting house, and his 
banner over me was love." 

These blessings are.* the precious effects of .Christ's mediatorial 
.w«rk; flowing down. to all believers, like -streams of living water. 
€ome, ye famishing, souls, and 'take, without money and without 
price.. All thiligs ai-e iio-w ready. " The mandrakes give a smell, 
aiftd at olir gates 'are all manner of pleasant fruits, both new and 
old." Here i&no scarcity. Our Elder Brother keeps a rich table 
in ouF*J?a^her'^s house ^ Jlear Him proclaiming in the streets of the 
city, in fhe chief places of concourse : — "Come to the festival. 
There is bread enough, and to spare. My oxen and my fallings are 
killed. My board is spr'ead with"thie' most, exquisite^ delicacies — 
wine on the lees .well refined, and fruits such as angels never 
tasted.", • 

JCkrist i&a tree of froteetion to his people. This cedar not only 
beawtrfie^- the forest, but also affords shade and shelter for the fowls 
bX the air. We have the same idea in. the parable of the mustard 
seed:— "the birds of the* air came and lodged in the branches 
thereof." This is the' fulfilment of the promise concerning the 
Shiloh: — " to him. shall the gath-ering of the people be." It is the 
drawing of sinners to Christ ; and the union of believers with God. 
" xlll- fowl of every wing." Sinners of every age and every 
degree — sinners of all languages, colors, and climes — sinners of all 
psinciples, cust-oms, and habits — sinners whosje* crimes are of the 
blackest h^-ue — sinners carrying about them the savor of the brim- 
stone "of hell— sinners deserving eternal damnation — sinners perish 
ing-for lack of knowledge — sinn-ers pierced by the arrows of con- 
vicfion^sinners .ready to sink under the burden of sin — sinners 
overwhelmed with terror and despair— are s6en flying to Christ as a 
cldiid, and as doves tctheir windows — moving to the ark of- mercy 
before the door is shut— seeking r,est m the shadow of this goodly 
cedar ! 

Christ is the sure defence of his church. A thousand times has 
she been assailed by her enemies. Tb^ princes of the earth have 
set themselves in array against her, and hell has opened upon her 
23 



178 THE CEDAR OF GOD. 

all its' batteries. But the Rock of Aojes has ever been her stron<r 
fortress and high tower. He will never refuse to shelter her from 
her adversaries. In the time of trouble, he shall hide h.ev in his pa- 
vilion-; in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide her. When the 
heavens are dark and angry, she flies^^ like the affrighted dove, /tor, the 
thick branches of ftie " Goodly Cedar.*" • There she is Safe frorp the 
windy storm and tempest. There she may rest in confidence, till 
these calamities be overpast. The tree of her protection can never 
be riven by the lightning, nor broken- by the blast. 

Christ is the source of life and'heautij to all the trees- in the garden 
of God. Jehovah determined to teach " the trees of the forest" a 
new lesson. Let the princes of this WDrld hear it, and 4lie proiid 
philosophers of Greeqe and Rome. "-Thav^ bfolight down the 
high tree, and exalted the low tree-^have dried up the gr^en tree, 
and made the dry tree to flourish." Many things- have occurred^^ 
in the providence of God, which might iHustrate these m6tapIiors ; 
such as the bringing of Pharaoh down to the bottom of the sea, 
that Israel might be exalted to sing the song of Mgses ; and. the 
drying up of the pride and pomp of Hargian, that Mordecai mi^t 
flourish in honor and esteem. But for the most transcendant accom- 
plishment of the prophecy,, we must go to Calvary; There is the 
high tree brought down to- the dust of death, that the low tree 
might be exalted to life eternal ; the green tree dried up by the fires 
of Divine wrath, thaj; the dry tree might flourish in the favor of God 
for 'ever.- ..-.-'... ^ 

.To this, particularly, our blessed Redeemer seems to refer, in lais 
address to the daughters of Jerusalem, as they follow hrni, we'ep- 
ing, to the place of crueifixion. ^^ Weep not for me," saith lie, 
" There is a mystery in allxthis-j /which* you canfiot now^jpompre- 
hend. Like Joseph, I have been sold by my brethren-; but like 
Joseph, I will be a blessing to all my Father's house. I am carry- 
ing this cross to Calvafy that- 1 may bre crucified upon it between 
two- thieves; but w^hen-the lid of the mystical ark shall be lifted, 
then shall ye see that it is to ^ave sinners I give my back to the 
smiters, arid -m^y It/e for--a sacrifice. ' Weep not -for me, but for 
yourselves and your children ; for if they do these things in the 
green tree, what shall be done in the dry ? I am the green tree to- 
day ; *and behold, I am consumed that you may flourish. 1 ^m the 
high tree, and am prostrated that you may be exalted." 



THE CEDAR OF GOD. 179 

' The fire-brands of Jerusalem had wellnigh kindled to a flame of 
themselves, amid the tumult of the people, when they cried out — 
" Away- with him ! Crucify him ! His blopd be on us, and on our 
children t" wonder of mercy! that they were not seized and 
consumed at once by fire from heaven ! But he whom they crucify 
prays for them, and they* are spared. Hear his intercession: — 
'^Father, forgive them ! Save these sinners, ready for the fire. 
On me, on me alone, be the fierceness of thy indignation. I am 
ready to drink the -exip which thou hast mingled. I am willing to 
■fall beneath the stroke of thy angry justice. I come to suflfer for 
the guilty. Bind me in their stead, lay me upon the altar, and 
sei^i down fire to consume the sacrifice !" 

It was 'done. I heard a great voice from heaven :■ — " Awake, 
sword, against my shepherd ! Kindle the flam.e ! • Let off the artil- 
lejy!" Night suddenly env.eleped the darth. Nature trembled 
around me. I heard the rending of the rocks-. I looked, and lo ! 
the stroke had fallen upon the high tree, and the green tree was all 
on fire ! While I gazed, I heard a voice, mo.urnful, but strangely 
sweet: — ''My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me? My 
heart is like waxj it is jneltedjn the midst of my bowels. My 
■strength is dried" up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my 
jaws. On^ may tell all my bones. Dogs have compagsed me 
about; sfrong bulls of Bashan have beset. me. They stai^ at mie; 
they gape upon me with their- mouths ; they pierce my hands and 
my feet. Deliver my soul from the lions ; my darling from the 
power of the dogs!" 

" It is finished !" O with what majestic sweetness fell" that voice 
upon my soul ! Instantly the clouds were scattered. I looked, arid 
s^v, with unspeakable wonder, millions of^ the low trees shooting 
up, and milhons of the dry trees putting forth leaves and fri^it. 
Then I took tny harp, and sang this -song: — " Worthy is the Lamb ! 
for he w^as humbled that we might.be exalted; he was wounded 
thSt we might be healed ; hQ was .robbed that we might be enriched ; 
he was slain that we might live !" . 

Then I saw the beam of a great scale ; one end descending to 
the abyss, borne down by the power of the atonement; the other 
•a'Scending to the heaven of heavens, ^d lifting up the prisoners of 
th-e tomb. Wonderful schemed Christ contlemned for our justifi- 
cation ; forsaken o£ his Father", that we might enjoy his fellowship; 



180 THE CEDAR OF GOD. 

passing under the curse of the law, to bear it away from the believer 
for ever ! This is the great scale of redemption. As one end of 
the l3eam fells under the load of our sins^ which were laid onJChji^ ; 
the other rises, bearing the basket of mercy, full of pardons, and 
blessings, and hopes. " He who knew no sin was made sin for 
us" — that IS his end of the beam ; " that we might be made the 
righteousness of God in him" — Ihis is ours. " Though he w^as 
rich, yet for our sakes he became poor" — there goes his end down ; 
" that we, through his poverty, might be rich" — here comes ours 

up. 

sinners ! ye withered and fallen trees, fuel for the everlasting 
burning, ready to ignite at the first spark' of vengeance ! O ye 
faithless souls! self- ruined and self-condemned! enemies in your 
hearts by wicked works! we pray you in Christ's stead, "be ye 
reconciled to God ! He has found out a plan for your salvation — 
to raise up. the low tree by humbling the high, and save tbs dry 
tree from the fire by burning up the 'green. He is' able to put, at 
the same time, a crown of glory on the head of the law, and a 
crown of mercy on the head of the sinner. . One of those hands 
which were nailed to the cross blotted oat tlfe fier^ handwriting of 
Sinai, while the other opened the prison-doors of the captives. 
From the mysterious depths of Messiah's sufferings flows the river 
of the water of life. Eternal light ri§es from the gloom of Gethse- 
mane. Satan plaijtecl the tree of death on the grave of the first 
Adani, and Sought to piant it also on the grave of the second ; but 
how terrible was his disappointment and despair, when he found 
that the wrong seed had been deposited there, and was spring- 
ing lip unto everlasting life ! Come ! fly to the shelter of this, tree/ 
and dwell in the shadow of its branches, and eat of its fruit j "and 
live ! 

To conclude : — Is not the conversion of sinners an object de&r 
to 4he hearts of the saints ? God alone can do the work. He can 
say to the north, give up ; and to the south, keep not back. He 
can bring his sons from afar, and his daughters from the ends of 
the earth. Our Shiloh h^as an attractive power, and to him shall 
the gathering of the 'people be. Pray, my brethren, pray earnestly, 
that the God of all grace may find them out, and gather them from 
the forest, and fish them up from the sea, and bring them ho;iie as 
the sliepherd brings the stray lambs to the fold. God alone can 



THE CEDAR OF GOD. .. 181 

catch these "fowl of every wing." They fly away from as. To 
oiar .grief, they often fly far away, when we think them almost in 
our hands ; and then the nxfst talented and holy ministers cannot 
overtake them.' But the Lord is swifter than they. .* His arrows 
will reach them and bring them from their lofty flight fo the earth. 
Then he will. heaL their Vv'ounds, and tame their wild nature, and 
give them rest beneath the branches of the " GoodTy Cedar." 



ft 



SERMON XL 

THE PRINCE'OF SALVATION. 



'''For it became Mm, for whom are all things, and hy whom are all things, in 
bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through 
sufferings^ — Heb. ii. 10. * ' . 

*' And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all 
them that obey him. — Heb. v. 9. 

I HAVE put these passages together because of their ^similarif}\ 
In discussing the doctrine which they contain-^the doctrine of sal- 
vation through the mediatorial" work of Christ, I purpose to con- 
sider — Firsty His relation to believers, as the author, captain, or 
prince of their salvation ; Secondly., His perfect qualification, 
through meritorious sufferings, to sustain that relation ; and Thirdly ^ 
The character of those who are interested in him as a Saviour. 

I. Christ is the prince of our salvation. He is the great ante- 
type of Moses, Joshua, Samson, and David. Their deeds of pious 
valor faintly foreshadowed the glorious achievements of the Captain 
of our salvation. 

He is a prince in our nature.^ The Lord from heaven became 
the second Adam, the seed of the woman, the offspring of 
David. Divinity and humanity were mysteriously united in his 
person. The Word that was in the -beginning was made flesh, 
and tabernacled among us. God is now nearer to his people than 
ever. The Lamb's bride is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. 
As the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he himself took 
part of the same. By taking human nature into union with him- 
self, he has imparted to believers a new and divine life. 
183 



THE PRINCE OF SALVATION. 183 

Our' Prince has conquered cmr adversaries. His name is Michael, 
the' power of God. He is" the mighty, prince that 'stood up oh 
behalf of his people, and" bruised Satan under their feet. He has 
cast out the strong man-, and his goods'. He ias demolished the 
kingdom of darkness, spoiled principalities. and powers, and made a 
show of them openly. He has proved to earth and heaven that the 
devil is a usurper, and has' no-claim whatever to the title, " God of 
this woVld," and " Prince of this world." When Christ was cruy' 
cified, hell quaked, to its .centime. Then he obtained liberty for the 
captives, and the pp'eliing of the prisons to them that are bound. 
His -^-ictory is our manumission. from the, slaver}^ of sin and death ; 
and if the Son make us free; we are free indeed. 

Three offices meet in the Author of our salvation; the prophetic, 
the priestly, and the regal. He wears three crawns upon his head ; 
a CFOw'n of gold, a crown of silver., and a crown ofprecJous stones. 
He " shall bear the glory, 5nd shall sit and' rule ifpon his throne, and 
shall be a priest upon his throne, and the covenant of peace shall be 
between them both." This prophecy is fulfilled in Messiah's 
Mediatorial relations. The house wa*s purified, the altar was con- 
secrat€.d,'on the morning of his resurrection. This is the Prince of 
life^.who was dead, asd is alive for evermore, and hath the keys 
orhell and of death. That he might sanctify the people with his 
own blood, lie suffered without the gat^ ; and by sufl^ering', he 
opened a way for belief er5 into the holie^ of all; and lo ! his 
people are standing before the mercy-seat within the vail, and wor- 
shipping in open sight ofx the glory of God that dwelleth between 
the cherpbim. If God smelled "a savor of rest" in the sacrifice 
of Neah, much more in the sacrifice of his beloved Son, in whorn 
he is ever well pleased. His sinless soul and body were. ofiTered 
once for all upon the cross. " He bore the sins of many, ancflnade 
in/tercession for the transgressors." The Father proclaims the 
demands of his law fully anjswere'd, and invites sinners to come and 
rest in the Beloved. This is he of whom it was said^" A man 
shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the 
tempest; as rivers of- water in a dry place; as the shadow of a 
great rock in a weary land." This is^ the Author and Captain of 
our salvation. 

H. Let us consider how he is qualified for that relation — made. 
perfect through sufiferings. 



184 THE PRINCE OF SALVATION. 

His, sufferings were necessary to constitute him a complete 
Saviours "Without the shedding of blood is no remission ;" the 
blood of Jesus is ''a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness." It 
was threatened- — " In the day thou eatest thereof ,thou shalt surely 
die;" but Christ, by dying in our stead, d§livere.d us from the 
sentence. 

In order that he might bear our sins, it w^s necessary for him to 
assume Gwr nature. The Priest roust have s'omewhat to offer as a 
.sacrifice. Divinity could not suffer and. die. "'A body hast thou 
prepared for me." The Son of God took that body as his. Dwn, 
and offered it tp the Father upon the crqs^. The blood which h'e 
shed was his own blood ; the life which he laid down was his own 
life; the so.ul which he „ poured out unto death was his own soul. 
Mos.es saw an embtem of this mystery in Mount Horeb— -a. bush 
burning with fire, yet unconsumed. " Our God is a consuming 
nre," dwelling in a tabernacle of clay. The human nature, though 
slain, is. not consumed. On the third day the bush is found still 
fleurishinsj an'd fruitful. * - " ' • 

It was necessary that the prec^t of the law should be -obeyed, 
and the penalty of the law endured, in the very nature of its violater. 
Christ answered the demands of "both tables oi^ behalf of his people, 
in the purity of his life, and the merit of his obedience unto death. 
He displayed all the fruits of holiness. He. loved righteousness 
and hated iniquity. He paid-our debt, a debt which he never con- 
tracted ; he endured our curse, a curse which he never deserved. 
He tpok the cup of the wine of wrath out of our hand, and drained its 
very dregs upon the cross. In hell, every one drinks his own cup, 
and can never exhaust its contents ; but behold, on Calvary, one man 
drains the cup of millions,, and cries^^" It is finished!" Not a 
drop is left, not a particle of any of its ingredients, for his people. 
God hath condemned and punished sin in the human nature of 
Christ, and all who believe are justified- freely by his blood. 

But the author of our salvation is G^d as well as man. The 
Divinity often shone yDut. through the humanity, controlling the 
elements, quickening the tenants of the tomb, and compelling the' 
very devils to obey him. Had he been less than " God manifest in 
the flesh," he must have been incompetent to the work of redemp- 
tion. The Divine nature was necessary to sustain the human 
nature under its immense burden of sufferings, and render those 



THE PRINCE OF SALVATION. 185 

sufferings sufficiently meritorious to atone for the transgressions of 

pankind. Christ endured more of the Divine displeasure ^' from 

the sixth to the ninth hour," than all the v.essels of ^vrath could 

endui^ to all eternity ;* and but for the union of the t^yo natures in 

' his person, he could not have borne his unparalleled woes. But while 

the man snff'ered, the God sustained. Whife the God-noan offered 

up his humanity, his Divinity was the altar that sanctified the gift, 

and rendered it a sacrifice of sweet smelling savor to the Father. 

• It -Cvas man that die.d'upcai the cross, but it was man in m/sterrous 

.union with God, so that the two natures constituted but one person, 

a«id the dignity of the Godhead gave infinite value .to the tears and 

sw'^al and blood' of the manhood. -No-wjonder that the cross of 

Christ is "the admiration of men and angels; and — " worthy is the 

Lamb that was slaii^r" the ultimate theme of earth and heaven ! * 

" And being made perfect.*' In the twentieth chapt^ of Exodus, 
we read of "the ram of consecration" — the ram of pei^ection in the 
♦original, or full r-am, as the word fiill signifies complete, mature, 
perfect. The two rams mentioned" in that- chapter represent the 
att)nemfenfr and intercession of Christ. He is our full, complete, 
or pepfect sacrifice. '^ In him dwelleth the fulness of the God- 
head;" and he has the hand of a man to bestow blessings upon his 
brethren. " Of his fulness have all w^ received, and grace upon 
gracfe," Our wisdom, righjteousness, sanctifi cation, and. redemp- 
tion' afe all in the Son of man. ' Aaron liever entered the holy 
place'witH empty -hands, and our gpeat High^riest hath ."gone into 
th-e celestial sanctuary, bearing with 'him his own most precious 
blood, wherewith to sprinkle the mercy- seat, and make it approach- 
able to man. Thus suffering on earth, and 'pleading the merit of 
his suffering in heaven, ''he becomes the author of eternal salva- 
tion to all them that obey him." 

in. This leads us to our third topic. The character of those 
who are interested in him as a' Saviour— ^" all them that obey him." 

To obey is to submit to authority — to do what is commanded. 
What is the command of God the Father? That ye should believe 
on the name -of his Son. What is flie command of Christ, the 
Captain of our salvation ? "Ye believe in God ; believe also in 

* This sentiment, in different forms, occurs very frequently in these sermons 
It is questionable theologj-:. — Ed. 

2-4 ' • Q 2 . ' 



186 THE PRINCE OF SALVATION. 

me.'^ It Is said that he is precious to them that believe, but unbe- 
lievers are disobedient. They are all a disafiected and rebellious 
army, who will not obey their. Captain. They hay e made God a 
liar, and are condemned for -their unbelief. The Father saith — . 
^'Ejss the Son, lest he be angryj" but they reply — " Away with 
him! away 'with him! we will not have hirgL'toTeign-over us!" 

Is this your character? * You are Commanded to "behold the 
Lamb of God, that taketh av/ay the sin of the world." ■ Haye you 
obeyed ? What are you doing ? Are-'you detextninecl to rebel ? 
Will you ri^ the consequences of disobedience ? -Of, you are i^ea^- 
ing- the book of election, are yoa.^ You are looking for your names 
in the book of election ; but-io ! you#find them writtenan the book 
of damnation, under the article — ^" He that believeth not. shall not 
see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him !" What shall be 
done in such a case ?\ 0be/,the Captain of your.salvation. Do ye 
not hear him, as he rides along the ranks, proclaiming— '-'^lo-day, 
if ye will hear my voice, harden not your hearts^ as iii -the provoca- 
tion! Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul 
shallJive!" Obey, abey this, gracious exhortation. Come, with 
your peti:tions for pairdorf.. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
you shall be saved. Behold a door of hope opening for you in the 
blood of at©nfefnent. There is forgiv-eness apd" sanctification for all 
that believe. Does your sense of guilt overwhelm you with gloomy 
fears, and plunge you in despair? Do you tremble at the thougjit 
of the multitude and encu*mity of your crimes ? ■ Cry aloud, with all 
your hearts — " God be merciful to me a sinner!" -Remember that 
your Prince "is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto 
God by him." Hear him calling you — " Come unto, me, -all _ye 
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ! Take 
my yoke u-pon you, and learn of me ; for I am meek .ajid lowly in 
heart"; and ye shall find rest to your souls; for my yoke is easy, 
and my burden- is light!" Who, then, would not obey thee, 
blessed Jesus ? 

" Had I, dear Lord, a thousand hearts, 
I'd give thiein all Xo Ihee ; 
A thousand tongues, they air should join 
'The gmt^ul harmony!" 

We-have ^ remarkable instance of faith and obedience in Abra- 
ham. There was no natural probability, there was no apparent 



THE PRINCE OF SALVATION. 187 

possibility of the fulfilment of the promise ; but Abraham believed, 
rested on the naked word of God, and went to mount JMpriah to 
pfferup his only son. Here was the triumph of faith, and it is 
recorded for our encouragement. Did the patriarch firmly believe 
the promise--*' In Isaac shall thy seed be called?" Yes verily, 
and it w^as accounted to him for righteousness. Did the patriarch 
believe, on the strength of that promise, that God would not permit 
him to offer up his only son ? No, verily ; but lie was determined 
'to Dbey Go5, and leave the event^with him,, well assured that God 
would fulfil his word, though it should require the miracle of 
Isaac's resurrection. Thus your faith must soar above" nature, and 
lay hold on'the righteousness of Christ, which justifieth th'e ungodly. 
When you believe w'ith all your heart, God will smile" upon you, 
and calm your troubled soul, and hush the raging storms of a guilty 
conscience, for the sake- of the satisfaction which he received in the 
obedience'of "Christ, as the substitute and surety of his people. TJiis 
is the Urim and Thummim — Light and perfection — of the gospel, 
beaming upon us through the twelve stars-^the apostles of the 
Lamb, pacifying the conscience, arid answering the important ques- 
tion— ^"'Wh at shall I do to be saved ?" I feel within me a sea of 
corruption, but I know that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from 
all sin. 

Faith and obedience are inseparable, and the former is dead with- 
out the latter. They wrought together in Abel, and therefore he 
offered a'more excellent sacrifice than Cain. They wrought together 
in Noah, and led him to prepare an ark to the saving of his house. 
Abraham not only believed that God would give him and his seed 
the land of Ganaari ; but he set forth at the Divine command, not 
knowing whither he w^nt. Moses not only believed that God 
would deliver Israel out of Egypt ; but, in obedience to his com- 
mand, he "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to 
enjoy the pleasures of sni for a season." Thus, t'rue faith always 
leads to obedience. It is a living principle, by which the soul is 
quickened from the death of sin to a new life of holiness. It is the 
means through which, by the Holy Ghost, *we are created anew in 
Christ Jesus unto good works. It works by ]oYe, and love is • 
always the great motive to obedience. It gives us large and clear 
views of the love of God in Christ ; then " we love him because 



188 THE PRINCE OF SALVATION. 

he -first loved us ;" and ^' this is the love of God, that we keep his 
commandments." Thus, by faith, "- the love of God is shed abroad 
in our hearts," leading lis to a holy life. Such is the conriBction 
between faith and obedience, and the necessity of one to the other. 
And I'dOw, brethren, let us trust in the Captain of our salvation. 
In the. ages before his a'dvent, many sons were brought to glory 
through faith in his future sufferings. In the fulness of time, he 
visited our world ; assumed our nature ; atoned for our transgres- 
sions ; and, ascending to the right hand of -ihe Father, as our 
representative ajad intercessor, " became the author of eternal sal- 
vation to all them that obey him." 

• , « O Captaim of saivation ! make 
^» Thy power and glory known, 

* . Till clouds of willing captives come, 

* ^ . ^ And worship at* thy throne r* 



• J 



SERMON XII. 

FINISHED REDEMPTION. 



. .' ."-ft w^?'«Ae(i."— Johnxix. 30. 

This exclamation derives all its importance from the magnitude 
of the work alluded to, and the glorious character" of the agent. 
The -v^oi^ is the* redemption of 'the world ; the agent is God mani- 
fest in the flesh. He who finished the creation of the heavens and 
the earth in six days, is laying the foundation of a new creation on 
• Calvary. Four thousand years he has been giving notice of his 
intention to mankind ; more than thirty years he has been personally 
upon earth, preparing the material ; and now he lays the chief 
corner stone in Zion, exclaiming — " It is finished." 

We will first consider the special import of the exclamation, and 
then offer a few remarks of a more general character. 

I. " It is finished." This saying of the Son of God is a very 
striking one; and, uttered, as it was, while he hung in dying 
agonies upon the cross, cannot fail to make a strong impression 
upon the mind. It is natural for its to inquire — "What does it 
mean? To what does the glorious victim refer?" A complete 
answer to the question would develope the whole scheme of 
redemption. We can only glance at a few leading ideas. 

The sufferings of Christ are ended-. Never again shall he be 
persecuted from city to city, as an impostor and servant of Satan. 
Never again shall he isay — " My soul is exceeding sorrowful, 
even unto' death." Never again shall he agonize m Gethsemane, 
and sweat great drops of blood. Never again shall he be derided 
by the rabble, and insulted by men in power. Never again shall 
he be crowned with thorns, lacerated by the scourge, and nailed, to 
the accursed tree. Never again shall he cry out, in the anguish of 

189 



190 FINISHED REDEMPTION, . 

his soul, and the baptism of blood — "My God! my God! why 
hast thou forsaken me !" . 

The predictions of his death are fulfilled. The prophets had 
spoken of his crucifixion many hundred years before his birth. 
They foresaw the Governor who was to come forth from Bethlehem. 
They knew the babe in the manger^ as he whose goings forth are 
of old, even from everlasting. They drew an accurate chart of his 
travels, from the manger to the cross, and from the cross to* thfi 
throne. All these things must be fulfilled.- Jesus knew^ <he 
necessity, and seemed anxious that every jot and tittle should receive 
an exact accomplishment. His whole life was a fulfilment of pro- 
phecy. On every path he walked, on every house he entered, on 
evpry city he visited, and especially On the mysterious phenomena 
which accompanied his crucifixion, it was written — "that the. Scrip- 
tures might be fulfilled." 

The great sacrifice for sin is accomplished. For this purpose 
Christ came into the world. He is our appointed high-priest, thfi 
elect of the Father, and the desire of nations. He alone whowas' 
in the bosom of the Father, could oflfer a sacrifice of sufi[icient 
merit to' atone for human transgression. But it was necessgry 
also that he should have somewhat to ofifer. Therefore a body was 
prepared for him. He assumed the seed of Abraham, tod suffered 
in the flesh. This was a sacrifice of infinite value, being sanctified 
by the altar of Divinity on which it was offered. All the cere- 
monial sacrifices could not obtain the bond from the hand of the 
creditor. They were only acknowledgments •of the debt.. But 
Jesus, by one offering, paid the whole, took up the bond — the hand- 
writing that was against us, and nailed it to his cross ; and when 
driving the last nail, he cried — " It is finished !" 

The satisfaction of Divine justice is completed. The violated 
law must be vindicated ; the deserved penalty must be endured ; 
if not by the siniier himself, yet -by the sinner's substitute. This was 
the great undertaking of the Son of God. He " bore our sins" — that 
is, the punishment of our sins — " in his own body on the tree." He 
was " made a curse for us, that we might be made the righteousness 
of God in him." There was no other way by which the honor of God 
and the dignity of his law could be sustained, and therefore " the Lord 
laid upon him the iniquities of us all." He " died unto sin once ;" not 
merely for sin, enduring its punishment in our stead ; but also 



FDs'ISHED REDEMPTION. 191 

*^ iH^to sin," abolishing its powerj and putting^it away. Therefore 
it is said, he " made an end of sin" — destroyed its condemning 
and tormenting power on "behalf of all them that believe. His 
sufferings were equal to the claims of justice ; and his dying cr^' 
was the voice of Justice himself, procdaimjng the satisfaction. Here, 
then, may Ihe -dying thief, and the'^'persecutoi- of the holy, lay down 
their loadof guilt and wo at^the foot.of the cross. 

The* new and living -way to- God is consecrated. A vail lias 
hitherto concealed the holyof hoKes. ' None but the high-priest has 
seen the ark of the covenant, and the:, glory of God resting upon 
the mercy- seat between the cherubim. He alone might enter, and 
he but once a year, and then ,with fear and . trembling, and the 
sprinkling of atoning ^Dlood, after the most carefuF purification, 
and sacrifice for himself and the people. But- our great 
High-rpriest has made an end of sacrifice by the one offering 
oC* himself. He has filled his liands with his own. blood, and 
ejitered into heaven itself^ there to appear in the presence of 
God for us. The sweet incense which he offers fills the temple, 
and the merit of- his sacrifice remains the same through all time, 
'superseding all, other ofifering for ever. Therefore we are exhorted 
to come \boldly to the throne of grace. The tunnel under the 
Thames could not be completed on account of .an accident which 
greatly damaged the work, without a new subscription for raising 
money; .but Jesjus f(5und infinite xkhes in himself, sufficient for the 
completion of a new way to the Father — a living way through the 
valley of the shadow of. death to ",tha city of the Great King." 

The conquest eftbe powers of , darkrress is achieved. When 
their hour was come, the Prince and his hosts were on the alert to 
accomplish the destruction. of the Soij. of God. ' They assailed him 
with peculiar temptations, and Iweled against him their heaviest 
artillery. They instigated one disciple to betray him and another 
to deny him. They fired the rage of the multitude against &im, so 
that the same tongues that lately sung-:-" Hosanna to the Son of 
David!" now shouted — "Crucify him! Crucify him!" They 
filled the priests and scribes with envy^ that they might accuse him 
without a cause ; and inspired Pilate with an accursed ambition, 
that he might condemn him without a fault. The}^ seared the con- 
science of the false witnesses, that they might charge ihe Just One 
with the most flagrant crimes ; and cauterized the hearts of the 



192 -FINISHED REDEMPTION. 

Roman soldiers, that they might mock him in his sufferingSy and 
nail him to the cross. Having succeeded so far in their hellish plot, 
they doubtless deeified their victory certain. I see them crowding 
around the cross, waiting impatiently to witness his last breath, 
ready to, shout with infernal triumph to the depths of hell, till the 
» brazen walls should send back their echoes to the gates of the 
heavenly city. But hark! the dying Saviour exclaims — *'ft is 
finished !" and the great dragon and his host retreat, howling, from 
the. cross. The Prince of our *s^vation turned back all their 
artillery upon themselves, and their own stratagems become their * 
ruin. The old serpent seized Messiah's heel, but Messiah stamped 
upon the serpent's h^ad. The dying cry of Jesus shooJ^ the 
dominions of death, so that the bodies of many that slept arose ; 
and rang through all the depths of hell, the knell of its departed 
power. Thus the Prince of this world \v^s- foiled, in* his schemes, 
and disappointed in his hopes ; like the men of Gaza, when they 
locked up Samson at night, thinking to kill him in the morning; 
but awoke to find that he was gone, with the gates of the city upon 
his shoulders. When the Philistines caught Samson, and, brought 
him to their temple, to make sport for them, they never dreamt 

of "the disaster in which it would result^never dreamed that their 

• 

triumph over the poor blind captive would be the occasion of their 
destruction. Suffer me, said he, to lean on the two pillars. Then 
he bowed himself, and died with his enemies. So Christ 6n 
Calvary, while the powers iSf. darkness exulted over their victim, 
seized the main pillars of sin and death, and brought down the 
temple of Satan upon its occupants ; but on tiie morning of the 
tKird day, he left them all* in* the ruins, where they shall remain for 
ever, and commenced his journey home to his Father's house. 

II. So much concerning the import of our Saviour's exclamation. 
Such was the work which he finished' upon the cross. We add a 
•few remarks of a more general character. 

The sufferings of Christ w^ere vicarious. He died, not for his 
awn sins, but for ours. He humbled himself, tibat we might be 
exalted. He became poor, that we might be made rich. He was 
wounded, that we might be healed. He drained the cup of wrath, 
that w^e might drink the waters of salvation. He died the shame- 
ful and excruciating deat}i"of thje cross, that M^e might live and reign 
with him for ever. 



FINISHED REDEMPTION. 193 

*^ Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to hare 
entered into his glory ?" This " ought" is the ought of mercy and 
of covenant engagement. He must discharge the obligation which 
he had voluntarily assumed. He must finish the work which he 
had graciously begun. There was no other Saviour — no othei; 
being in the universe willing to undertake the work ; or, if any will- 
ing to undertake, none able to accomplish it. The salvation of 
one human soul would have been too mighty an achievement for 
Gabriel — for all the angels in heaven. Had not '' the Only Begot- 
ten of the Father" become our surety, we must have lain for ever 
under the wrath of God, amid " weeping, and w-ailing, and gnash- 
ing of teeth." None but the Lion of the tribe of Judah could break 
' the seals of that mysterious book. None but " God manifest inrthe 
flesh" could deliver us from the second death. 

The dying cry yf Jesus indicates the dignity of his nature, and 
the power of life that was in him to the last. All men die of weak- 
ness — of inability to resist death — die because t-hey can live no 
longer. But this was not the case with the Son of God. He 
speaks of laying do-w^n his life as his ow^n voluntary act ; — 'i No 
man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have po\yer 
to lay it down, and I haye power to take it again." He " poured 
out his soul unto death" — did not wait for it to be torn from him— 
did riot hang languishing upon the cross, till life "ebbed out by 
slow degrees ;" but poured it out freely, suddenly, and unexp.ect- 
edly. As soon as th,e work w^as done for v,'hich he came into the 
world, he -cried—" It is finished !" " bowed his head, and gave up 
the ghost." Then the sun was. darkened, the earth quaked, the 
rocks rent, the graves opened,, and the centurion said — " Truly, this 
nran wa;s the Son of God !" He cried with a loud voice, to show 
that he was still unconquered by pain, mighty even up@n the cross.' 
He bowed his head that death might seize him. He was naturally 
far above the reach of death, his Divine nature being self- existent 
and eternal, and his human nature entitled to immortality by its 
immaculate holiness ; yet " he humbled himself, and became obe- 
dient unto d^ath, even the death of the cross" — " He bowed his 
head, and gave up the ghost." 

We may regard his last exclamation, also, as an expression of his 
joy, at having accomplished the great " travail of his soul,"" in the 
work of our redemption. It was the work which the Father had 
25 R 



■.,:Ji 



194 FINISHED REDEMPTION. 

given him, and which he had covenanted to do. It lay heavy upon 
his heart; and O, how was he straitened till it was accomplished' 
His " soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death ;" " and his 
sweat as it were great .drops of blood, falling down to the ground.'^ 
But upon the cross, he saw of the travail of his soul, and was satis- 
fied. He saw that his sacrifice was accepted, and'the object of his 
agony secured — that death would not be able to detain him in the 
grave, nor hell to defeat the purposes of his grace — that the gates 
of the eternal city v/ould soon open to receive him as a conqueror, 
and myriads of exultant angels shout him to his throne ; whither he 
would be followed by his redeemed, with songs of everjasting joy. 
He saw,' and- he was satisfied ; and, not waiting for the morning of 
the third day, but already confident of victory, he uttered this note 
of triumph, and died. - 

And if we may suppose them to have understood its import, what 
a source of consolation must it have been to hi-s sorrowing disci* 
pies ! The sword had pierced through Mary's heart, according to 
the prediction of old Simeon over the infant Jesus. Her affections 
had bled at the agony of her sujyernatufal Son, and her wounded 
faith had wellnigh perished at his cross. And how must all his 
followers have felt, standing afar off, and beholding their supposed 
Redeemer suffering as a malefactor ! How must all. their hopes 
have died within them, as they gazed on the accursed tree! The 
tragedy was mysterious, and they deemed their enemies victorious. 
Jesus is treading the winepress in Bozrah, and the earth is shaking, 
and the rocks are rending, and the luminaries of heaven are expir- 
ing, and all the powers of nature are fainting, in sympathy with his 
mighty agony. Now he is lost in the fire and smoke of battle, and 
the dread artillery of justice is heard thundering through the thick 
darkness, and shouts of victory rise from the troops of hell, and 
who shall foretell the issue of the combat, -or the fate of the Cham- 
pion ? But lo ! he Cometh forth from the clOud of battle, with blood 
upon his garments 1 He is wounded, but he hath the tread and the 
aspect of a conqueror. He waves his crimsoned sword, and cries 
— " It is finished !" Courage, ye weepers at the cross! Courage, 
ye tremblers standing afar off! The Prince of your salvation is 
victor, and this bulletin of the war shall cheer myriads of believers 
m the house of their pilgrimage, and the achievement which it 
announces shall constitute an everlasting theme of praise! 



"X 



FINISHED REDEMPTIOX. • 195 

"It is finished!" The word smote on the walls of the celestial 
city, ancl thrilled the hosts of heaven with ecstasy unspeakable. 
How must *^ the , spirits of just men made perfect" have leaped 
. w^ith joy, to hear that the Captain of their salvation was victorious 
ovef all his enemies, and that the work he had engaged to do for 
them and their brethren was completed ! and with what wonder and 
delight must the holy angels have witnessed the triumph of him, 
whom they were commanded to worship, over the powers of dark- 
ness ! It was the commencement of a new era in heaven, and 
never before had its happy denizens seen so much of God. 

" It is finished !" Go, ye heraldst)f salvation, into all the world, 
and proclaim the joyful" tidings! Crj aloud, and spare not; lift 
up your voice like a trumpet, and publish to all meji, that the work 
of the cross is finished — that the great Mediator, " made perfect 
through suflferings," has become " the author of eternal salvation 
to all them that obey him" — '' is of God made unto us, wisdom, 
^nd righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption!" Go, teach 
the degraded Pagan, the deluded Mohammedan, and the superstitious 
Papist-, that the finished work of Jesus is the only way of acceptance 
with God ! Go, tell the polished scholar, the profound philosopher, 
and the vaunting moralist, that the doctrine of Christ crucified is the 
only knowledge that can save the soul ! Go, say to the proud 
skeptic, the bold blasphemer, and the polluted libertine, " Behold 
the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin ©f the world !" Preach 
it to the gasping sinner upon his death-bed, and-the sullen murderer 
in his cell ! Let it ring in every human ear, and thrill in every 
human heart, till the gladness of earth shall be the counterpart of 
hearen"^ 



SERMON XIII. 

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. 



" He is not here ,• for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the 
Lord lay.^^ — Matt, xxviii. 6. 

The celebrated Jdiiatliaii Edwards of America begins iiis History 
of Redemption with an account of the Lord's visit to Adam and 
•Eve at the cool of the day in Eden. All the wonderful works of 
God toward the children -of men, since the seed of the woman was 
promised to bruise the serpent's head, are to 'be considered as so 
many parts of the same great machinery of providence, whose 
wheels, like those of Ezekiel's vision, all move' in majestic harmony, 
though their thousand revolutions may seem to us discordant and 
confused. The chief design of all the Divine manifestations re- 
corded in the Old Testament was to prepare the way for the Re- 
deemer's appearance upon earth. Jehovah often suffered his people 
to be in great distress and perplexity ; he lengthened the chain of 
Satan and his angels, allowed a partial success of then- infernal 
schemes, and permitted them to prevail for a season against his 
people, and pride themselves in their powder and their skill, in order 
to make their defeat the more signal, and gather more glory to him- 
self from their, final overthrow. During the engagement, the victory 
often seemed to be on the side of the enemy ; but when the smoke 
of battle cleared away, the pillar of God was seen upon the camp 
of Israel. If his people are besieged between Pi-hahiroth and Baal- 
zephon, he raises the siege by dividing the sea, and making a high- 
way through the deep, while the waters rise up in a solid wall on 
the right and the left, and roll back in ruin on the pursuing foe. 
If an army comes to arrest Elisha on Carmel, the mountain is 
196 



THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. 197 

covered with celestial warriors, and the surrounding heavens teem 
with horsemen and chariots of fire, and the enemy are smitten with 
blindness, and taken captive by the prophet. If Goliath of Gath 
confi'onts the camp of Israel with his challenge, roaring like a lion, 
till the valley resounds with his voice, a little shepherd-boy goes 
forth with his sling, and the vaunting blasphemer is smitten to th6 
ground, and slain with his own sword. If the worshippers of the 
true God are cast into the fiery furnace, or the den of lions, to show 
the power and gratify the pride of an infamous tyrant, there is one 
among them " like unto the Son of Man," and the violence of the 
fire is quenched, and the mouths of the lions are stopped. 

But when Messiah was slain and buried, the enemies of God 
boasted more than ever in their crafty and malicious schemes. This 
was the great decisive engagement between Heaven and hell. The 
enemy imagined '' the Captain of our salvation" vanquished and 
destroyed. But his fall was no defeat. He yielded to the powers 
of darkness apparently, that he might triumph over them openly. 
He suffered himself to be taken prisoner by death, that he might 
seize the tyrant on his throne, demolish his empire^ and deliver YnB 
captives. And if none of his friends on earth had courage to pro- 
claim his resurrection, a preacher descended from heaven to an- 
nounce the joyful fact: — " He is not here ; for he is risen, as he 
said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." 

Wonderful message, and wonderful messenger ! On the morning 
of the third day after his crucifixion, Jesus revived in his tomb, and 
the sound of the earthquake reached the heaven of heavens, and a 
mighty angel, swifter than the light, descended straight to the new 
grave in Joseph's garden, calling on no one for the key, instantly 
rolled away the stone from the door, and sat upon it, and made it 
his pulpit, from which he preached to the women the doctrine of 
our Lord's resurrection. . 

Let us consider,;/jr.s^, the testimony by which this fact is sustained , 
and secondly, the fact itself, as the sure basis of Christianity. 

I. It appears from the record of the evangehst Luke, that the 
women were much perplexed at finding the stone rolled away from 
the mouth of the sepulchre, and the body of Jesus gone. Then 
they were saluted by two angels in shining apparel, who said; — 
" Why seek ye the living among the dead ? He is not here, but is 
risen. Remember how he spake unto you while he was yet in Galilee, 

ii2 



198 THE RESURKECTION OF JESFS. 

saying — The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of siiiful 
men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they 
remembei;ed his* words." 

Here is the 'testimony of two credible witnesses, a sufficient 
number to. attest the truth of our Lord's resurrection ; whotestifiad " 
ta nothing but what -they had personally witnessed, and knew to b^ 
fact ; and deirvered their testimony in simple and unambiguous 
language, that could not well be misunderstood. 

While the women went to inform the. disciples ©f what they had 
seen and heard, " behold, some of the watch came into the city, and 
showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done." 4-nd 
what was done ? What can be, the -testimony of these enemies, of 
Christ concerning his resurrection? "That " an "angel, whose cbun^ ' 
tenance was like lightning, and his garments white as snow; de- 
scended from heaven, and rolled away the stone from the door, and" 
sat upon it;" which so terrified'them that they " became as dead 
men." 

To confirm these testimonies, our blessed. Lord himself *^ ap- 
peared unto many after his resurrection, who were witnesses of all 
things which he did, both in the land of the Jews, and- at Jerusalem ; 
and how he was slain, and hanged on a tree ; and how God raised 
him up the third d^ay, and sho\^ed hiai openly ; not to all the people, 
but to witnesses chosen before of God ; even to the -disciples, who 
did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead ; whom he 
commanded to preach untd the people, and to ^stify that it is he 
who is ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead" — " to 
whom he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible 
proofs ; being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things 
pertaining to the kingdom of God." 

Here we may observe, that h'^ appeared to those who knew him 
best, and gave them satisfactory and incontestible evidence of his 
resurrection. And he appeared, not only to the apostles, but to 
more than five hundred brethren at once. We have an acx^ount of 
his appearing at ten or eleven different times. On these occasions, 
he conversed witb his disciples, reminded them of what he had said 
to them before his crucifixion, showed them his hands and his feet, 
and besought them to touch and examine his person, and satisfy 
themselves as to his identity. So that they had ample opportunity, 
and every facility that could be desired, for ascertaining whether he 



THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. 199 

was indeed Jesus of Nazareth, their master, who was lately crucified 
before their eyes. 

It was therefore with great j^wer that the apostles bore witness 
of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And the Holy Spirit cor- 
roborated their testimony. Our faith in this distinctive doctrine of 
Ckristianity rests on a Divine foundation. " If we receive the wit- 
ness of men, the witness of God is greater." "And the apostles 
went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord also working whh 
them, and confirming the word wilii signs following." In a few 
weeks after the resurrection of their Master, their testimony concern- 
ing it was received and firmly believed by many thousands, not in 
some distant and desert part of the world, but in Jerusakm, where 
he had b^en crucified. 

How nobly the apostle Peter reasoned on this subject when he 
said : — "Ye men of Israel, hear .these words. Jesus of Nazareth, 
a man approved of God among you, by miracles, "and wonders, and 
signs, which Gad did by him in the midst of you, aS ye yourselves 
also know ; him, being d£liv^red by the determiaate counsel and 
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have 
crucified and slain ; whom God hath' raised up, having loosed the' 
pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden 
of it." 

Such was the evidence of our Lord's resurrection, that amonsf 
those who were living at the time, and even those of* them who so 
strenuously opposed the gospel, it appears to have been scarcely 
doubted. Pilate, in a letter to Tiberius, the Roman emperor, said, 
that Jesus, being raised from the dead, was believed by many to be 
God ; whereupon the Roman S^xiate expressed no doubt of his 
resurrection, but debated the question of receiving him as one of 
the gods of Rome ; which, however, was overruled by Divine Pro- 
vidence, for the honor of Christianity ; for he who is higher than 
heaven, and the heaven of heavens, was not to be ranked with 
dumb idols upon earth. 

II. Let us now consider the fact of our Lord's resurrection, and 
its bearing upon the great truths of our holy religion. 

This most transcendent of miracles is sometimes attributed to the 
agency of the Father ; who, as the Lawgiver, had arrested and 
imprisoned in the grave the sinner's Surety, manifesting at once his 
benevolence and his holiness 3 but by liberating, the prisoner, pro 



yif^ 



f 

200 THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. 

claimed that the debt was cancelled, and the claims of the law 
satisfied. It is sometimes attributed to the Son himself; who had 
power both to lay down his life, and to take it ' again ; and the 
merit of whose sacrifice entitled. him to the honor of thus asserting 
his dominion over death, on behalf of his people. And sometimes 
it is attributed to the Holy Spirit, as in the following words 'of the 
apostle : — " He was declared to be the Son of God with power, ac- 
cording to the Spirit of Holiness^ by the resurrection from the dead." 

The resufrection of Christ is clear and incontestible proof of his 
Divinity. 

He had declared himself equal with God the Father, and one 
%vith him in nature and in glory. He had told the people that he 
would prove the truth of this declaration, by rising from the grave 
three days after his death. And when the morning of the third day 
began to dawn upon the sepulchre, lo ! there was an earthquake, 
and the dead body arose, triumphant over the power of corruption. 

This was the most stupendous miracle ever exhibited on earth, 
and its language is: — "Behold, ye persecuting Jews and murder- 
ing Romans, the proof of my Godhead! Behold, Caiaphas, Herod, 
Pilate, the power and glory of your victim ! I am he that liveth, 
and was dead ; and lo ! lam alive for e'\'«rmore! I am the root 
and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star ! Look 
unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth ; for I am God, 
and besides me there is none else !" 

Our Lord^s resurrection affords incontrovertible evidence of the 
truth of Christianity. 

Pilate wrote the title of Christ in three languages on the cross ; 
and many have written excellent and unanswerable things, on the 
truth of the Christian Scriptures, and the reality of the Christian 
religion ; but the best argument that has ever been written on the 
subject, was written by the invisible hand of the Eternal Power, in 
the rocks of our Saviour's sepulchre. This confounds the skeptic, 
settles the controversy, and affords an ample and sure foundation 
or all them that beheve. 

If any one asks whether Christianity is from heaven or of men, 

vve point him to the "tomb hewn out of the rock," and say — 

'There is your answer! Jesus was crucified, and laid in that 

'.ave ; but on the morning of the third day, it was found empty ; 

our Master had risen and gone forth from the grave victorious." 



THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. 201 

This is the pillar that supports the whole fabric of our religion ; 
and he who attempts to pull it down, like Samson, pulls down ruin 
upon himself. " If Christ is nat risen, then is our preaching, vain, 
and your faith is also vain, ye are yet in yolir sins ;" but if the fact 
is clearly proved, then Christianity is unquestionably true, and its 
disciples are safe. 

This is the ground on which the apostle stood, Mid asserted the 
divinity of his faith : — " Moreover, I testify unto you the gospel, 
which I' preached' unto you ; which also ye have received, and 
whereiit . ye stand ; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in 
memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in 
rain ; for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, 
how that Christ died for our sins accordifig to the Scriptures, and 
that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according 
to the Scriptures." 

The resurrection of Jesus is the most stupendous manifestation of 
the power of God, and the pledge of eternal life to his people. 

^ The apostle calls it "the exceeding greatness of his power to us 
ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 
which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead." 
This is a river overflowing its banks — an idea too large for lan- 
guage. Let us look -at it a moment. 

Where do- we find "the exceeding greatness of his power?" In 
the creation of the world ? in the Seven Stars and Orion ? in the 
strength of Behemoth and Leviathan ? No! In^the deluge? in 
the fiery^ destruction of Sodom ? in the overthrow of Pharaoh and 
his host ? in hurling Nebuchadnezzar like Lucifer from the political 
firmament ? No ! It is the- pow^r which he wrought in Christ. 
When? When lie h'ealed the sick? when he raised the dead? 
when he cast out devils? when he blasted the fruitless fig-tree ? 
when he walked upen th^ waters of the Galilee? No! It was 
" when be raised him from the dea^." Then the Father placed the 
sceptre in the hand of the Son, " and set him above all princi- 
pality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that 
is named, not only in this \yorld, but' also in that which is to come ; 
and put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over 
all things to the church." 

This is the source of our spiritual life. The same power that 
raised the dead body of our Lord from the grave, quickens the soul 
26 



202-- THE RESURB^ECTION OF JESUS. 

of the believer from the "death in trespasses and sins. ' His riven 
tomb is a fountain of living waters j whereof if a man drink, he 
shall never die. His raised and glorified bedy is the sun, whence 
streams eternal light upon our spirits ; the light of life, that never 
can be quenched. 

Nor here does the influence of his resurrection end. He who 
raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken our mortal'bodies. 
His resurrection is the pledge and the pattern of ours. '' Because he 
liveth we shall. live also." "He shall change our vile body, Ihat 
it may be fashioned like unto his gloriou-s body." We hear him 
speaking in the prophet : — " Thy dead men shall live ; together 
with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye thafe 
dwell in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the 
earth shall cast out her dead." • . 

How divinely does the apostle speak of the resurrection-body of 
the saints! . '' It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption ; 
it is sown in dishonor, it is raised, in glory ; it' is sown in w^eakness, 
it i^s praised in power ; it is sown ^ natural body, it is raised a spirit- 
ual body. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this 
mortal must put on immortality. Then shall.be brought to pass the 

• ying that is written — Death, is swallowed up in victory ! -G dea|hy 
where is thy sting ? O grave, where, is thy victory i Thanks.be 
unto God, that giveth us the victory, throu-gh our Lord Jesus 
Christ." 

Ever since the fall in Eden, man is born to die. He Jives to 
die. He eats and drinks, sleeps and wakes,- to die. Death, like 
a dark steel-clad warrior, stands ever before us ; and his- gigantic 
shadow comes continually between us and happiness. But Christ 
hath " abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light 
through the gospel." He was born in Bethlehem, that he might 
die on Calvary. He was made under the law, that he might bear 
the direst penalty of the law. He lived -thirty-thr'ee years, sinless 
among sinners, that he might offer himself a sin-offering for sinners 
upon the cross. Thus he " became obedient unto death," that he 
might destroy the power of death'; and on the third morning, a 
mighty angel, rolling, away the stone from the mouth of .the sepul- 
chre, makes the very door of Death's castle the throne whence he 
proclaims " the resurrection and the life." 

- The Hero of our salvation travelled into Death's dominion, took 



THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. 203 

possession of the whole territory on our behalf, and returning laden 
with spoils, ascended to the heaven of heavens. He went tcr the 
palace, .seized the tyrant, and wrested away his sceptre. He 
descended into the ptison-house, knocked off the fetters of the cap- 
tives; and when he came up again, left the door .of every cell 
open, that they might follow him. He has gone over into- our 
promised inheritance, and' his glory illuminates the mcmntains of 
immortality ; and through the telescope which he has bequeathed 
lis, we "see the land that is very far off." 

I recollect reading in the writings of Flavel this sentiment — that 
th'e -souls in paradise "wait with intense desire for the reanimation 
of their dead bodies, that they may be united to them in bliss for 
ever. 0., whaf rapture there shall- be among the saints, when those 
frail vessels, from which they escaped with such a struggle, as they 
foundered in the gulf of death, shall Come floating in, with the 
spfing-tide of the resurrection, to the harbor of immortality ! How 
glorious the reunion, when the seeds of affliction -and death are left 
behind in the tomb ! Jacob no longer lame, nor Moses slow of 
speech, nor Lazarus covered with sores, nor Paul troubled with a 
thorn in the flesh ! 

" It doth not yet appear what w^e shall be ; but we know that 
when he shall appear, we shall be like him ; for w^e shall see him 
as he is." The glory of the body of Christ is far above our present 
conception. When he was transfigured on Tabor, his face shone 
like the sun, and his raiment was ^viiite as the light. This is the 
pattern showm to his people in the mount. This is the model after 
w^hich the bodies of believers shall be fashioned in the resurrection. 
" They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament ; 
and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and 
ever." 

In conclusion: — The angel" said to the women— " Go quickly, 
and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead ; and behold, 
he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him ; lo! I 
have told you. And they -departed quickly from the sepulchre, 
with fear and great joy ; "and did run to .bring his disciples word." 

Brethren ! followers of Jesus ! be ye also preachers of a risen 
Saviour! Go quickly — there is no time for delay—and publish the 
glad tidings to sinners ! Tell them that Christ died for their sins, 
and rose again for their justification, and ascended to the right hand 



204 THE RESOJRRECTION OF JESUS. 

of the Father to make intercession for them, and is now able to 
save. unto the uttermost all that come unto God by him! 

An-d you, impenitent and unbelieving men! hear this blessed 
message of salvation ! Do you intend ever to embrace the prof- 
fered mercy of the gospel ? Make haste ! Procrastination is ruin ! 
Now is the accepted time! 0, fly to the throne of grace! Time 
is hastening ; you will soon be swallowed up in eternity ! May the 
Lord have mercy upon you, and rouse you from your indifference 
and sloth ! It is my delight to invite you to Christ ; but I feel more 
pleasure and more confidence in praying for you to God. . I have 
besought and entreated you, by every argument and every motive 
in my power ; but you are yet iii your sins, and rushing on toward 
hell. Yet I will not give you up in despair. If I cannot persuade . 
you to flee from the wrath to come, I will intercede with God to 
[lave mercy upon you for the sake of his beloved Son. If I cannot 
prevail in the pulpit, I will try tq prevail at the throne ! 



SERMON XIV. 

THE ASCENSION. 



" Whom ike heanen Triust receive until the times of restitution of all things,^^-— 
Aots iii. 21. • 

These words are part of St. Peter's sermon to the people of Jeru- 
salem, on occasion of the cure of the lame man, at the "Beautiful 
Gate" of the temple, shortly after the day of Pentecost. 

This, and the sermon recorded in the preceding chapter, were 
perhaps the most effective ever delivered on earth. As the fruit of 
Peter's ministry in these two discourses, about five thousand souls 
were converted to Christianity.* 

It is recorded, Aat, oh the day:of Pentecost, the hearers " were 
pricked in their hearts, and ' said iinto Peter and the rest of the 
apostles — Men and brethren, what shall we do?". An inquiry 
which indicates the utmost solicitude and distress. A sense of sin 
overwhelmed them, especially of their guilt in rejecting the Son of 
God ; and they pressed around the preacher and his colleagues with 
thi^ earnest interrogative. 

The answer was ready. True ministers of Christ are never at a 
loss in answering the inquiries of awakened sinners. When the 
Philippian jailer came trembling to Paul and Silas, and fell down 
before them, exclaiming — " What must I do to be saved ?" " Be- 
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved," was the 
prompt and appropriate answer. 

So Peter, on the day of Pentecost, when three thousand con- 
science-smitten and heart-broken hearers cried out under the 
sermon — "What shall we do?" immediately replied — "Repent 

* Acts iy. 4. . 

S 205 



206 THE ASCENSION. 

and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for 
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Ghost ; for the promise is unto you, arid to your children, and to 
all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." 

And so in the sermon whence we have taken our text, when he 
saw that the truth had found its way to the understanding, and'the 
conscience, and the heart — that many were awakened, and con- 
vinced of sin — he exhorted them to repentance and faith in Christ, 
as the condition of salvation : — " Repent ye, therefore, and be con- 
verted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refresh- 
ing shall come from thje presence of the- Lord ; and he shall send 
Jesus Christ, who before was preached unto you ; whom the hea^ 
ven must receive until the times of restitution of all things." 

The doctrine of this text is — the necessity of Christ's return to 
heaven till the consummation of his mediatorial work. 

It is generally admitted, that the .twenty-second psalm has par- 
ticular reference- to Christ. This is evident from his-* own apprc- 
priation of the first verse upon the cross: — "My God! my God! 
why hast thou forsaken me .''" The title of that psalm i"s — " Aijeleth 
Shahar;" which. signifies—A hart, or — the hind of the morning. 
The striking metaphors which it contains are descriptive of Mes- 
siah's peculiar sufferings. He is the hart,. or hifid gf the morning, 
hunted by the black prince, with his hell-hounds— by Satan, and 
all his allies. The " dogs," the " lions," the " unicorns," and 
the " strong bulls of Bashan," witii their devouring teeth^ and fheh- 
terrible horns, pursued him from Bethlehem to Calvary. They 
beset him in the manger, gnashed upon him in the garden, and 
wellnigh tore him to pieces upon the cross. And still they perse- 
cute him in his cause, and in the persons and interests of his people. 

The faith of the church anticipated the coming of Christ, '' like a 
roe or a young hart," with the dawn of the day promised in Eden;" 
and we h^ar her exclaiming in the Canticles — " The voice of my 
beloved! behold, he cometh, leaping upon the mountains, and skip- 
ping upon the hills!" She heard him announce his advent in the 
promise — "Lo, I come to do thy will, God!" and with pro- 
phetic eye, saw him leaping from the mountains of eternity to the 
mountains of time, and skipping from hill to hill throughout tlie 
land of Palestine, going about doing good. In the various types 
and shadows of the law, she beheld him "standing by the wall, 



THE ASCENSION. 207 

looking forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice j'-^ 
and then she sung — •-" Until the day break, and the. shadows flee 
away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like the roe or the young hart 
upon the mountains of Bether!"^ Bloody sacrifices revealed him to 
her view, going down to the "vineyards of red wine;" whence she 
traced him to the meadows of gospel ordinances, w^here " he feedeth 
among the lilies" — to '•' the gardens of cucumbers," and "the beds 
of spices ;" and fnen she sung to him again^ — " Make haste" — or, 
flee away — "my beloved! be thou like the roe or the young hart 
upon the mountains of spices !" 

Thus she longed to see him, first- " on the mountain of Bether," 
ana then " on the iriountain of spices," On both mountains she' 
saw him eighteen hundred years ago; and on both she may still 
trace the footsteps of his majesty and his mercy. The former he 
hath tracked with his own blood, and his path upon the latter is 
redolent of frankincelise and-nayrrh. 

Bether signifies division. This is the craggy mountain of Cal- 
vary; whither tlie "Hind of the morning" fled„^followed by all the 
wild beasts of the forest, and the hunting-dogs of Tiell ; summoned^ 
to the pursuit, and urged on, by the prince of perdition; till the 
victim, in his agony, sweat great drops of blood— where he was 
terribly crushed between the cliffs, and dreadfuUymangled by sharp 
and* ragged rocks — where he was seized by Death, the great gre}-- 
hound of the bottomless pit — whence he leaped the precipice, with- 
out breaking a bone ; and sunk in. the dead sea, sunk to its utmost 
depth, and saw- no corruption. 

Behold the " Hind of the morning" on that dreadful mountain I 
It is the place of skulls,- where* death -holds his carnival in compa-* 
nionship with worms, and hell laughs in the face of heaven. Dark 
storms are gathering there— convolving clouds, charged with no 
common wrath. Terrors set themselves in battle-array before the 
Son of God ; and tempests burst upon him, which might sweep all 
mankind in a moment to eternal ruin. Hark ! hear ye not the sub- 
terranean thunder ? Feel ye not the tremor of the mountain ? It is 
the shock of Satan's artillery, playing u^on the Captain of our sal- 
vation. It is the explosion of the magazine of vengeance. Lo, 
the earth is quaking, the rocks are rending, ihe graves are opening, 
the dead are rising, and all nature stands aghast at -the conflict of 
divine mercy with the powers of darkness. One dread convulsion 



208 THE ASCENSION. 

more, one cry of desperate agony, and Jesus dies— an arrow has 
entered into his heart. Now leap the lions, roaring, upon their 
prey ; and*the bulls of Bashan are bellowing ;. and the dogs of per- 
dition are barking ; and the unicorns toss their horns on high ; and 
the devil, dancing with exultant joy, clanks his iron chains, and 
thrusts up his fettered hands in defiance toward the face of Jehovah ! 

Go a little farther upon the mountain, and you come to " a new 
tomb hewn out of the rock." There lies a dead body.- It is the 
body of Jesus. His disciples have laid it down in sorrow, and 
returned weeping to the city. Mary's heart is broken, Peter's zeal 
is quenched in tears, and John would fain lie down and die in his 
Master's grave. The sepulchre is closed up and sealed, and a 
Roman sentry placed at its entrance.. On the morning of the third 
day, while it is yet dark, two or three women come to anoint the 
body. They are debating about the great stone at the mouth of the 
cave. "Who shall roll it away?" says one of them. "Pity we 
did not bring Peter or John with us." But arriving, they find the 
stone already rolled away, and one sitting upon it, whose counte- 
nance is like lightning, ^nd' whose garments are white as the light. 
The steel-clad, iron-hearted soldiers lie around him, like men slain 
in battle, having swooned with terror. He speaks :— " Why seek 
ye the living among the dead ? He is not here ; he is risen ; he- is 
gone forth from this cave victoriously." 

It is even so ; for there are the shroud, and the napkin, and the 
heavenly watchers; and when he" awoke, and cast off his grave- 
clothes, the earthquake was felt in the city, and jarred the gates of 
hell. " The Hind of the morning" is up earlier than any of his 
pursuers, " leaping upon the mountains, and skipping upon the 
hills." He is seen first with Mary at the tomb ; then with the dis- 
ciples^ in Jerusalem ; then with two of them on the way to Emmaus/, 
then going before his brethren into Galilee ; and finally, leaping 
from the top of Olivet to the hills of Paradise ; fleeing away to 
"the mountains of spices," where he shall never more be- hunted 
by the black prince and his hounds. 

Christ is perfect master of gravitation, and all the laws of nature 
are obedient to his will. Once he walked upon the water, as if it 
were marble beneath his feet ; and now, as he stands blessing his 
people, the glorious form so recently nailed to the crgss, and still 
more recently cold in the grave, begins to ascend like " the living 



THE ASCENSION. 209 

creature" in Ezekiel's vision, "lifted up from the earth," till 
nearly out of sight ; when " the chariots of God, even thousands of 
angels," receive hira, and haste to the celestial city-, waking the 
thrones of eternity with this jubilant chorus — " Lift up your heads, 
O ye gates-!' and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors! and the 
King of glory shall conne in !" 

. Christ might have rode in a chariot of fire all the way from Beth- 
lehem to Galvary ; but he preferred riding in a chariot of mercy, 
whose lining "was crimson, and whose ornament the malefactTir's 
cross. How rapidly rolled hi^ wheels over the hills and the plains 
of Palestine, gathering up everywhere the children of affliction, and 
scattering blessings like the beams of the morning ! Now we find 
him in Cana of Galilee, turning water into wine ; then treading th^ 
weaves of the sea, and hushing the roar of the tempest ; then deliver-, 
ing the demoniac of Gadara from the fury of a legion of fiends ; then 
healing the nobleman's son at Capernaum ; raising the daughter of 
Jairus, and the young man of Nain ; WTiting upon the grave at 
Bethany — " I am the resurrection and the life ;" curing the invalid 
at the pool of Bethesda; feeding the five thousand in the Vvdlder- 
ness; preaching to the woman by Jacob's well; acquitting the 
adulteress, and shaming her accusers; and exercising everywhere,' 
in aE his travels, the three offices of Physician, Prophet, and 
Saviour, as he drove on toward the place of skulls. 

Now we See the chariot surrounded w^ith enemies — Herod, and 
Pilate, and Caiaphas, and the Roman soldiers, and the populace of 
Jerusalem-, and thousands of Jews who have come. up to keep the 
Passover, led on by Judas and the devil. See how they rage and 
curse, .as if they would' tear hira- from his chariot of mercy. But 
Jesus maintains his seat, and holds fast the reins, and drives right 
on through the angry crowd, without shooting an- arrow, or lifting 
a spear upon his foes. For in that chariot the King must ride to 
Calvary — Calvary must be consecrated to mercy for ever. He sees 
the cross planted upon the brow of Xhe hill, and hastens forward to 
embrace it. No sacrifice shall be offered to Justice on this day, 
but the one sacrifice w^ich reconciles heaven and earth. None of 
those children of Belial shall suffer to-day. The bribed witnesses, 
and.claniorous murderers, shall be spared — the smiters, the scourg- 
ers, thespitters, the thorn-platters, the nail- drivers, the head-shakers ; 
for' Jesus pleads on their behalf — ''Father, forgive them! they 
27 s 2 



'210 THE ASCENSION. 

know not what they do. They are ignorant of thy truth and grace 
Thay are not aware whom they are -crucifying. .0, spare them' 
Let Death know that he shall have enough to do with me to-day ! 
Let him open all his batteries upon me ! My bosom is bare to the 
stroke ! I will gather all the lances of hell in my heart!" 

. Still the chariot rushes on, and ',* fiery darts" are falling thidc 
and fast, like a shower of mete^ors, on Messiah's head,- till he is 
covered with wounds, and the blood flows down his garments, and 
leaves a crimson track .behind him. As he passes, he casts at the 
dying malefactor a glance of benignity, and throws him a passport 
into Paradise, written with his own blood ; stretches forth his 
scepter, and touches the prison-door of death, and man^yof the- 
prisoners come forth, and the tyrant shall never Tegain hi^ dotni- 
nion over .them; rides triumphant over thrones and pri-ncipalitiesy 
and crushes-.beneath his, wheels the last enemy hiipself^ -and leaves 
the memorial of his march engraven on the rocks of Golgotha ! - 

•Christ is everywhere in the Scriptures spoken of as a blessing ; 
and- whether we contemplate his advent, his ministry, his miracles, 
his agony, his -crucifixion, his interment, his resurrection, or hia 
ascension, we may truly say, "all his .p-aths. drop fatness,"- AH 
his travels were on^the road of mercy; and trees ai'e growing. up 
in his footsteps, whose fruit is delicious food, and whose '' leaves 
are for the healing of the nations." He walketh upon, the south 
winds,' causing propitious gales to blow upon the wilderness, till 
sqngs of joy awake in the solitary place, and the desert blossoms as 
the rose. " ' " 

If we will consider what the prophets wrote of Messiah, in con- 
nection with the evangelical history, we shall be satisfied that none 
like him, either before or since, ever entered our world, and departed 
from it. Both God and man — at once the Father of eternity and 
the son of time — he filled the universe, while he was imbodied 
upon earth; and ruled the celestial principalities and powers, while 
he wandered-^a persecuted stranger — in Judea. '^ No man," saitli 
hcj "hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from 
heaven-^even the Son of man, who ir^ in heaven." 

Heaven was no strange place to Jesus. He talks of the mansions 
in his Father's house as familiarly as one of the royal family would 
talk of Windsor Castle, where he was born.; and saith to his dis- 
ciples — " I go to prepare a place for you ; -that where I am, there 



THE ASCENSIOX. 211 

ye may be also." The glory into which he entered was his own 
glory — the glory which he had with- the .Father before the world 
was. He had an original and supreme right- to the celestial man- 
sions; and he acquired 'a new and additional claim by his office as 
mediator. Having- suffered' for our sins, he ''ought to enter into 
his glory." He ought, because he is " God, blessed for ever" — he 
ought, because, he is the representative of his redeemed people. 
He has taken possession of the kingdom in our behalf, and left on 
record for our encouragement this cheering promise — "To him 
that overcometh will I grant to sit \^ith me in my throne ; even 
as I also have overcame, and am set down with my Father in his 
throne." * ' 

The- departure of God from Eden, and the departure of Christ 
from. the earth, were two o^ the sublimest events that ever occurred, 
and fraught with immense consequences to our race. When Jeho- 
vah went out from Eden, he left a curse" upon the place for man's 
sake, and drove out man before him into an accursed earth. But 
when Jesus ascended from Olivet, he lifted the curse with him, and 
left a blessing behind him — sowed the world with the seed of eter- 
nal blessings; " and instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree; 
and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle-tree ; and it shall 
be to the Lord for a name, and an everlasting sign, that shall not be 
cut off." He ascended to intercede for sinners, and reopen paradise 
to his people ; and when he shall come the second time, according 
to the promise, with all his holy angels, then shall we be " caught 
up to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the 
Lord." 

" The Lord is gone up with a shout," and has taken our redeemed 
nature with him. He is the head of the church, and her representa- 
tive at the right hand of the Father. " He hath ascended on high ; 
he hath led captivity captive ; he hath received gifts for men.; yea, 
for the rebellious also, that God may dwell among them." " Him 
hath God exalted, with his own right hand, to be a Prince and a 
Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins." This 
is the Father's recognition of his " Beloved Son," and significant 
acceptance of his sacrifice. " Wherefore God also hath highly ex- 
alted him, and given him a name which is above every name ; that 
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, 
and things in the earth, and things under the earth ; and that every 



212 THE ASCENSION. 

tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to' the glory of God 
the Father." 

The evidence of our Lord's ascension is ample. He. ascended 
in the presence of many witnesses, who stood, gazing after him till 
a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked 
steadfastly toward heaven, two angels appeared to them, and talked 
with thein of what they had seen. Soon afterward, on the day of 
Pentecost, he fulfilled, in a remarkable manner, the promise which 
he had made to his people : — " If I go away, I will send you an- 
other Comforter, who shall abide with you for ever." Stephen, the 
first of his disciples that glorified the Master by martyrdom, testified 
to his murderers — " Lo, I see the heavens opened, and the Son ef 
Man standing on the right hand of God!" And John, "the be- 
loved disciple," while an exile "in Patmos, for the word of God, 
and- the testimony of Jesiis Christ," beheld him '^in the midst of 
\he throne, as a Lamb that had been slain !" These are the evi- 
dences that our Lord is in heaven ; these are our consolations in 
the house of our pilgrimage. 

The apostle speaks of the necessity of this event : — " Whom the 
heaven must receive." 

Divine necessity is a golden chain, reaching from eternity to eter- 
nity, and encircling all the events of time. It, consists of many 
links, all hanging upon each other ; and not one of them can be 
broken, without destroying the support of the whole. The first 
link is in God, "before the world was ;" and the last is in heaven, 
when the world shall be no more. Christ is its Alpha and Omega, 
and Christ constitutes all its intervenient links. Christ in the bosom 
of the Father, receiving the promise of eternal life, before the founda- 
tion of the world, is the beginning; Christ in his sacrificial blood, 
atoning for our sins, and pardoning and sanctifying all them that 
believe, is the middle ; and Christ in heaven,, pleading the merit 
of his viccirious sufferings, making intercession for the transgressors, 
drawing ail men unto himself, presenting the prayers of his, people, 
and preparing their mansions, is the end. 

There is a necessity in all that Christ has done as our Mediator, 
in all that he is doing on our behalf, and all that he has engaged to 
do — the necessity of Divine love manifested, of Divine mercy exer^ 
cised, of Divine purposes accomplished, of Divine covenants ful- 
filled, of Divine faithfulness maintained, of Divine justice satisfie'd, 



THE ASCENSION. 213 

of Dhine holiness vindicated, and of Divine power displayed. 
Christ felt this necessity while he tabernacled among us, often de- 
clared it to his disciples, and acknowledged it to the Father in 4:he 
agony of the garden. 

Behold him wrestling in prayer, with strong crying and tears : — 
"Father, save me from this hour! If it be possible, let this cup 
pass from me !" Now the Father reads to him his covenant engage- 
ment, which he signed and sealed with his own hand before the 
foundation of the world. The glorious Sufferer replies : — " Thy- 
will be done ! For this cause came I unio this hour. I will drink 
•the cup which thou hast mingled, and not a dreg of any of its 
ingredients shall be left for my people. I will pass through the 
approaching dreadful night, under the hidings of thy countenance, 
bearing away 4;he curse from my beloved. Henceforth, repentance 
is hidden from mine eyes!" Now, on his knees, he reads the 
covenant engagements of the Father, and adds : — " I have glorified 
the6":0n the earth. I have finished the work w^hich thou gavest me 
to do. Now glorify thou me, according to thy promise, with th'ine 
awn self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 
Father, I will also that they whom thou hast given me, be with me 
where I am, that they may behold my glory. Thine they w^ere, 
and thou hast given them to me, on condition of my pouring out 
my soul unto death. Thou hast promised them, through my right- 
eousness and meritorious sacrifice, the kingdom of heaven, which 
I now claim on their behalf. Father, glorify my people, with him 
whom thou lovedst before the foundation of the world!" 

The intercession of Christ for his saints, begun on earth, is con- 
tinued in heaven. This is our confidence and joy in our journey* 
ings through the wilderness. We know that our Joshua has gone 
over into the land' of our inheritance, where he is preparing a place 
of habitation for Israel, for it is his will that all whom he has re- 
deemed should be with him for ever! 

The text speaks of the period when the great purposes of our 
Lord's ascension shall be fully accomplished : — " until the times of 
restitution of all things." 

The period here mentioned is "the dispensation of the fulness of 
time," when "the fulness of the gentiles shall come in," and "the 
dispersed of Judah" shall be restored, and Christ shall " gather to- 
gether in himself all things in heaven and in earth," overthrow hi 



214 THE ASCENSION. 

enemies, establish his everlasting kingdom, deliver the groaning 
creation from its bondage, glorify his people with himself, imprison 
the devil and his angels in the bottomless pit, and punish with de- 
struction- from his presence them that pbey not the gospel. 

To this glorious consummation, the great travail of redemption, 
and aH the events of time, are only preparatory. It waspromised 
in Eden, and the promise was renewed and enlarged to Abraham ^ 
to Isaac, and to Jacob. It was described in gorgeous oriental im- 
agery by- Isaiahj and " the sweet psalmist of Israel^" and " spoken 
of by all the prophets, since the world began." Christ came into 
the world to prepare the way for his future triumph — to lay on. Cal- 
vary the " chief corner-stone" of a temple, which shall b€ completed 
at the end of time, and endure through all eternity. He began the 
great restitution. He redeemed his people with a price, and gave 
them' a pledge of redemption by power. He made an end of sin, 
abolished the • Levitical priesthood, and swallowed up all the -types' 
and shadows in himself.. He sent home the beasts, overthrew the 
altars, and quenched the holy fire ; and, upon the sanctifying altar 
of his own divinity, offered his own sinless humanity, which was 
consumed by £re from heaven. He removed the seat of govern- 
ment from Mount Zion in Jerusalem, to Mount Zion above, where 
he sits — "a priest upon his throne" — drawing heaven and earth 
together, and establishing " the covenant of peace between them 
both." Blessed be God! we can now go to Jesus, the mediator; 
passing by millions of angels, and all the ^irits of just men made 
perfect; till we "come to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh 
better things than that of Abel." And we look for that blessed 
day, when " this gospel of the kingdom" shall be universally preva- 
lent; "and all shall knov/ the Lord, -from the least even to the 
greatest" — when there shall be " a new heaven, and a new earth, 
wherein dwelleth righteousness" — when both the political and the 
moral aspects of our world shall be changed ; and a happier state 
of things shall exist than has ever been known before — when the 
pestilence, the famine, and the sword shall, cease to destroy; and 
" the saints of the Most High shall possess the kingdom," in " quiet- 
ness and assurance for ever." " Then cometh the end," when 
Emmanuel " shall destroy in this mountain the vail of the covering 
cast over all people, and swallow up death in victory !" 

But what will it avail you to hear of this glorious restitution, if 



THE ASCENSION. 215 

you are not partakers of its incipient benefits, and Kappily interested 
in its consummation ? Has it begun in your own hearts ? Are you 
restored to God in Clirist? Efave you a place in his house, and a 
name among his people ? Are your feet running the way of his 
commandments, and your hands diligent in doing his work ? If 
not, ^'it is high time to aw^ake out of sleep." '^-Repent and be-. 
lieve the gospel!" "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the 
unrighteous man his thoughts ; and let Lim remrn unto the Lord, 
who will have mercy upon him • and to our God^ for he will abun- 
dantly pardon !" " 



SERMON :XV.^ 

TRIBULATION CONQUERED, 



•* These things have I spoken unto you^ that in me ye might have peace. In 
the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer ; I have overcome the 
world:'— ZoYmxYi. 22. * 

The last sayings of those we love are not soon forgotten. These 
words form the conclusion of our Lord's valedictory to his disciples. 
They did not yet understand that the redemption of man was to be 
obtained by the death of their Master. When Christ was put to 
death, he .descended to the lower parts of the earth, in order to raise 
up sinners ; but their faith could not follow him into the deep. 
Nicholas Pisces sunk into the sea to raise a golden cup, but neither 
he nor the cup ever came up again. A man clothed in glass went 
down to prepare for raising the Royal George ; the ruan came up, 
but the ship remains in the bottom. But our blessed Redeemer, 
clothed in humanity, descended to the deeps of death, and raised 
the church from the pit of perdition, and founded her upon a rock, 
against which the gates of hell cannot prevail. 

We would notipe,yi>-5^, the peace that is in Christ, in opposition 
to the tribulation that is in the world ; and secondly^ the victory of 
Christ over the world, as the source of comfort and joy to believers. 

I. " These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might 
have peace. I know what you will have in the world — mountains 
of tribulation — nothing but tribulation. I will put my peace in the 
other end of the scale." 

Peace in Christ is "the peace of God which passeth all under- 
standing" — an oc^an sufficiently deep and largfe-to swallow up mil- 
lions of fiery mountains. See the awakened sinner, overwhelmed 
with the terrors of God. His inflexible justice and spotless holiness 
216 



TRIBULATION CONQUERED. 217 

seem to him like a mountain of flame, which he cannot approach 
without being consumed. But the Holy Spirit shows him the re- 
conciling blood of the cross. He sees the crucified God-man rising 
from the grave, and ascending on high, " to be a Prince and a Sa- 
viour, to give repentance and remission of sins." Instantly the ter- 
rible mountain sinks and is lost in the sea of his Redeemar's merit. 
His faith has conquered his fears. His burden of guilt is gone. He 
is a new creature in Christ Jesus, and in Christ Jesus there is no 
condemnatioji. The deluge of tribulation may swell and roar 
around him, but he is securely enclosed in the ark, 

A man in a trance saw himself locked up in a house of steel, 
through the walls of which, as through walls of glass, he could see 
bis enemies assailing him with swords, spjears, and bayonets ; but 
his life was safe, for his fortress was locked within. So is the 
Christian secure amid the assaults of the world. His ''life is hid 
wdth Christ in God." 

,The psalmist prayed — " When my heart is overwhelmed within 
me, lead mje to the Rock that, is higher than I." Imagine a man 
seated on. a lofty rock in the midst of the sea,. where he has every 
thing necessary for, his support, shelter, safety, and comfort. .The 
billows heave and break beneath him, and the hungry monsters of 
the .deep wai-t to devour, him ; but he is on high, above the rage 
of the former, and the rea^h of the latter. Such is the security of 
faith. 

But why need I mention the rock and the steel house? for the 
peace that is in Christ is a tower ten thousand times- stronger, and 
a refuge ten thousand times safer. Behold the disciples of Jesus 
exposed to famine, nakedness, peril, and sword — incarcerated in 
dungeons; thrown to wild beasts; consumed in the fire; sawn 
asunder ; cruelly mocked and scourged ; driven from friends and 
home, to wander among the mountains, and lodge in dens and 
caves of the earth; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; sorrow- 
ful, but always rejoicing ; cast down, but not destroyed ; an ocean 
of peace within, which swallows up all their sufferings. 

" Neither ({eath," with all its terrors ; " nor life," with all its 
allurements; "northings present," with all their pleasure; "nor 
things to come," with all their promise; "nor height" of pros- 
perity ; "nor depth" of adversity; "nor angels" of evil ; "nor 
principalities" of darkness; " shall be able to separate us from the 
28 T 



218 TRI-B^LATION CONQUERED. 

love of God, which is in Christ Jesus." " God is our refuge ana 
strength ; a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we 
fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains- be 
carried into the midst of the sea — though the waters thereof roar 
and be troubled — though the mountains shake with the swelling 
thereof." This is the language of strong faith in the peace of Christ. 
How. is it with you amid such turmoil and commotion? Is all 
peaceful within ? Do you feel secure in the name of the Lord,. as 
in a strong fortress^-'as in a city well supplied and^ defended ? 

" There is a river, the streams whereof shall rnake gl'ad'the city 
of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most high. God is 
in the midst of hen-; she shall not be moved. God shall help her, 
and that right early." " Unto the upright, there ariSeth light in the 
darkness." The bright and morning star, shining upon their path- 
way, cheers them in their journey home to their Father's hou-se." 
And when they come to pass over Jordan, the Sun of Righteousness 
shall have risen -"upon them, with healing in his wings. Already; 
they see the tops of the mountains of immortality, gilded with his 
beams, beyond the valley of the shadow of. death. ■ Behold, yonder, 
old Simeon hqisting hi§ sails, and saying — '^ Lord, now lettest thou 
thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word ; for mine eyes 
have seeji thy salvation." ' Such is the peace of Jesus, sealed to all 
them that believe, .by the blood of his cross. 

When we walk through the field of battle, slippery with blood, 
and strewn with the bodies of the slain — when we hear the shrieks 
and the groans of- the wounded and the dying-— when we see the 
country wasted, cities burned, houses pillaged, widows and orphans 
w^ailing in the track of the victorious army, we cannot help exclaim- 
ing — 0, what a blessing is peace ! When we are obliged to wit- 
ness family turmoils and strifes — when we see parents and children,, 
brothers and sisfers^. masters and servants, husbands 'and wives, 
contending with, each' other, like tigers — we retire as from a smoky 
house, and exclaim as we go — 0, w^hat a blessing is peace I When 
duty calls us into that church, where envy and malice prevail, and 
the spirit of harmony is supplanted by discord and contention — 
when we see brethren, who ought to be bound together in love, 
full of pride, hatred, confusion, and every evil work — we quit the 
unhallowed sceli'e with painful feelings of repulsion, repeating the 
exclamation — 0, w^hat a-blessing is peace ! 



TRIBULATION CONQUERED. 219 

But how much more precious in the case of the awakened sinner ! 
See him standing, terror-stricken, before mount Sinai. Thunders 
roll above him — lightnings flash around him — the earth trembles 
beneath him, as if ready to open her mouth and swallow him up. 
The sound of the trumpet rings through his soul — " Guilty ! guilty ! 
guilty!" Pale and trembling, he looks, eagerly around him, and 
sees nothing but revelations of wrath. Overwhelmed with fear and 
dismay, he cries out — ^' wretched man that I am! Who shall 
deliver me ! What shall I do ?" A voice reaches his ear — pene- 
trates his heairt — " Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the 
sin of the world !" He turns his eyes to Calvary. Wonderous 
vision ! Emmanuel expiring upon the cross ! the sinner's Substi- 
tute satisfying the demand of the law'against the sinner! Now 
all his fears are hushed, and rivers of peace flow into his soul. 
This is the peace of Christ. 

How precious is this- peace j amid all the dark vicissitudes of life ! 
How invaluable this jewel, through all the dangers of the wilder- 
ness! ^How cheering to know that Jesus, who hath loved us even 
unto death, is the pilot of our perilous voyage ; that he rules the 
winds and the waves, and can hush them to silence at his will, and 
bring the frailest bark of faith to the desired haven! Trusting 
where he cannot trace his Master's footsteps, the disciple is joyful 
amid the darkest dispensations of Divine Providence ; turning all 
his sorrows into songs, and all his tribulations into triumphs. 
" Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on 
thee, because he trusteth in thee." 

n. The victory of Christ over the world, the source of comfort 
"and joy to believers. "In the world ye shall have tribulation; 
but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." 

The world is the great castle of Belial, containing three temples ; 
" the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life ;" 
in one or another of which every unconverted soul is a. worship- 
per. But Jesus has demolished that castle, and abolished the ser- 
vice of its several temples. 

The world has two modes of warfare. Sometimes it puts on the 
apparent mildness of a lamb, and allures to destruction with the 
song of a siren. Again it leaps upon its prey like an angry lion, 
or pursues its victim like an exasperated dragon. Its frown ha3 
destroyed thousands ; its smile, tens of thousands. 



220 TRIBULATION CONQUERED. 

A certain man has laid it down as a. rule, that all must take the 
world as it is. But all general rules have their exceptions. Christ 
is the exception here. Christ conquered the world. The Prince 
of this world met him in the wilderness, when he was alone, in 
poverty and distress— weary, hungry, and thirsty — and offered him 
all the kingdoms of the world, for which have been fought so many 
battles. But Jesiis refused the offer ; choosing rather to be poor, 
that we might be made rich. He detected the lion in his affectation 
of the lambj and stripped from the angel of darkness his garment 
of light. 

Then the enemy assumed another aspect — -assailed him with the 
rage of a wild beast, and the malice of a fiend. No sooner had he 
preached his first sermon, than there was an attempt to hurl him 
down th« precipice. "The archers sorely grieved him, and shot 
at him, and hated him," Judea became to him a mountain of 
leopards, and humanity seemed infernalized. < He was stigmatized 
as a hypocrite — an impostor — a demoniac. He was falsely accused 
before rulers, and insult was added to perjury. " But his bo\v 
abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by 
the hands of the mighty God of Jacob." " He was tempted in 
all things like as we are, yet without sin." "He did no iniquity, 
neither was guile found in his mouth." He went through the wil- 
derness without contracting any of its defilement. 

But this was comparatively a small part of his victory. A more 
glorious conquest of the world was achieved by his death upon the 
cross, and his resurrection from the grave. It is here we behold 
him " glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his 
strength," trampling the hosts of hell, till his raiment is red with 
•blood. It is here we behold him " spoiling principalities and 
powers, and making a show of them openly — triumphing over 
them" in his atonement. It is here we behold the Prince of this 
world cast out and judged. The Prince of Peace has broken his 
sceptre, demolished his throne, and established upon the ruins of 
his empire an everlasting kingdom of grace. 

Caiaphas rejoiced that Christ was under the king's seal in the 
grave ; but his unholy joy was brief as " the crackling of thorns 
under a pot." At the dawning of the third day, Caesar's seal is 
broken, the stone rolled away, the tomb deserted of its occupant, 
Caiaphas' feast of joy turned to lamentation and mourning, and tlie 



TRIBULATION COXQTJERED. 221 

eternal power and Godhead of him whom they crucified engraved 
for ever on the rent rocks of Calvary. 

Alexander conquered the world,- but did not live to enjoy the 
fruits of his victory. But the Captain of our salvation, though he 
was dead, is alive for evermore. He shall prosecute his conquests, 
^d put all enemies under his feet, and retain his dominion for 
ever. ^'He shall see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied." 
He lives to confer upon his people the riches which he procured for 
them by his death. He lives to defend his redeemed, and draw all 
men unto himself. He liv^s to perpetuate in the church the peace 
which he bequeathed to her in his last will and testament. 

A servant of Julian the Apostate asked one of the mart}'rs — " What 
is thy God, the carpenter, doing now in heaven?" He answered 
•^-'' Making a coffin for thy master!" Julian was soon afterward 
mortally wounded by an arrow fi-om one of the Sc}thians. When 
he was expiring, he waved his hand sorrowfully, and exclaimed — 
" Galilean, thou hast conquered !" 

" Be of good cheer," therefore, ye trembling disciples ! Christ 
has vanquished all your enemies. Ye are more than conquerors, 
through him that loved you, and gave himself for you. " In those 
things wherein they were proud, he was above them." When 
Pharaoh exulted to overtake Israel, shut in between Pi-hahiroth and 
Baal-zephon, with the sea before them, Jehovah was higher than 
the Eg}'ptian. His sight was clearer — his arm was stronger — his 
purpose was firmer. He. said to his people — '*■ Stand still ! you ai'e 
not able to raise this rampart. I must do it for you. I will divide 
the sea, and lead you through on dry land, and drown those who 
have drowned so many of your infants. Ever}- one of them shall 
perish, from the king to the last footman." Thus the Prince of 
Peace has triumphed over your foes, and you may conquer through. 
faith in his conquest. " Wliatsoever is born of God overcometh 
ihe world ; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even 
our faith." 

John in the Apocal}-pse saw the army of the victors — a great 
multitude, out of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues 
— standing before the throne, and before the Lamb ; clothed with 
white robes, and palms in their hands ; and crjqng with a loud 
voice — " Salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and 
unto the Lamb !" And one of the elders asked him—" Who are 

t2 



222 \ TRIBULATION CONQUERED. 

■ \ 
these, and whende came they ?" But so wonderfully were they 

changed, since he saw them on. earth — in exile, in prison, in torture 

and death — that he confessed he knew 'them not. Then answered 

the elder — " These are they that came out of great tribulation, and 

have washed their rqbes, and made them white in the -blood of the. 

Lamh. Therefore af e they before the throne of God, and serve him 

day and night in his temple ; and he that sitteth on the throne shall. 

dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any 

more ; neither shall thp. sun light on them, nor any heat. For the 

Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall 

lead thiem unto living fountains of waters ; and God shall wipe away 

all tears from their, eyes.'^ 

Thus, ye saints, shall you ^.^ overcome by the blood of the Lamb ;" 

"for greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world ;" and 

your sorrows shall be lost in -unspeakable joy, and your disgrace in 

eternar glory ! . 



SEHMON XYI. 

THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 



^^ According fo the glorious gospel of the blessed God.V — 1 Tim. i. IL 

The being of God, and some of his attributes, are revealed to us 
by natural religion. " The proof is seen in all his works, commend^ 
ing itself to the reason and conscLence even of pagan nations* "Be- 
cause that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for 
God hath showed it unto them ;.for the invisible things of him, from 
the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the 
things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead ; so that 
they are without excuse, because that when they knew God, they 
glorified him not as God, neither w^re thankful, but became vain 
in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."* 

Paul''s sefmon in Athens was founded on the revelations of natural 
reli^on : — " Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said. Ye 
men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are-too superstitious; 
for as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with 
this inscription, to the unknown god; whom therefore ye ignorantly 
worshipjhim declare I unto you. God that made the world and all" 
things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dv/elleth not 
in temples made with hands ; neither is worshipped with men's hands, 
as thoughUe needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, 
and all things ; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to 
dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times 
before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they 
should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find 
him, though he be not far from every one of us ; for in him we hve, 

• Rom. i. 19—21. 

223 



224 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 

and move, and have our being ; as certain also of your own poets 
have said, For we are also his offspring."* 

But natural religion, though it reveals the being and attributes of 
God, cannot teach the way of salvation, nor lead us in the path of 
holniess. It may excite a thousand fears, not one of which can it 
allay; and suggest a thousand questions, not one of which can it 
answer. It leaves us, w^ith the deist, in a region of doubt and per- 
plexity; and neither of its four oracles— creation, providence, reason, 
and conscience — can satisfy the soul that inquires, "What must I 
do to be saved ?" Its light affords us no guidance in the path of 
virtue ; no certain indications of duty, either to God or man. Our 
understandings are so darkened, our wills so perverted, our affec- 
tions so carnal, that we can depend upon no suggestions of external 
nature, or of reason and conscience, for the regulation of our moral 
conduct. God, therefore, of his inifimte mercy, has given us his 
written word— a perfect rule both of faith and practice — a law by 
which we ought to live, and by wEich we shall be judged — a reve- 
lation of the mystery which had been hidden for ages,, but is now 
made manifest to the saints, dispelling the fears of conscience, sooth- 
ing the sorrows of the heart, and bringing life and immortality to 
light. 

Divine revelation, though infinitely above human reason, does 
not in the least oppose it. That God should clearly make known 
his will to man, is so far from being contrary to reason, that we may 
truly say, nothing is more reasonable. "The deductions of reason 
from the insufficiency of natural religion strongly indicate the neces- 
sity of such a revelation ; and as to its possibility, we know that 
there can be no impossibility on the part of God to give it, and there 
is no impossibility on the part of man to receive it. G.od is able to 
communicate his will to his creatures in any way he pleases. He 
can stamp it on the mind, and make us know that it is he who 
speaks to us. But he has chosen another method. He has given 
lis a record of his will in the Holy Scriptures. " God who, at sun.- 
dry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers 
by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, 
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made 
the worlds. Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to . 

* Acts xrii. 22 — 28, 



THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 225 

the things which "we have heard, lest at any time we should let 
them slip." 

Is the gospel the truth of God or not ? INIuch has been written 
on this question. The arguments that have been ad^nnced in sup- 
port of the affirmative have never been overthrown, and never can 
be, by all the skeptics in the world. The revelation of the method 
of salvation was given in the garden of Eden to our first parents. 
Since that period great talents have been employed, talents worthy 
of a better cause, in ridiculing the Bible ; but to very little purpose. 
The character of the Book of God stands firm as a mountain amid 
the clouds, the thunders, and the whirlwinds ; and all the opposition 
of infidels and blasphemers, instead of tarnishing, have only bright- 
ened its lustre ; and from every trial thi'ough which it has passed, it 
has come forth as fine gold from the furnace. The religions of the 
world, the vices and virtues of the world, all its wisdom and saga- 
city, and air its power and authority", in league with the demons of 
the pit, have not been able to destroy the gospel, or stay the wheels 
of its chariot. Though they 'were headed by the prince of darkness 
— the prince of this world — the prince of the power of the air, that 
worked mightily in the children of disobedience, in Palestine, in 
Greece and Rome, and all over the world; yet the gospel has 
proved tiiumphant. Its enemies, human and infernal, may w'onder 
and be amazed at its prosperity ; buflet them remember that its author 
is tlie living God, and liveth for ever. Though its ministers have 
been persecuted and- imprisonedij stoned, sawn asunder, slain with 
the sword, and burnt in the flames; yet the word of the Lord is not 
bound, but is freely preached in many parts of the world, and its 
doctrines and practices maintained in their pi^irity by multitudes- of 
Christians, notwithstanding the most dreadful attempts that have 
been made at difTerent times to corrupt and destroy them. " For 
all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. 
The grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away ;, but the 
word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which 
by the gospel is preachi^d unto you." " 

We would now call your attention to the Divine authority of the 
gospel, and its characteristic glory. 

I. It is "the gospel of the blessed God" — ^a message from God 
to man — a revelation of God's, gracious method of saving sinners 
through the death of 'his Son — a declaration of his sovereign love 
29 



226 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 

and mercy to the utterly wretched and perishing children of ifien. 
It testifieth of the coming of the promised Messiah ;. of the glory of 
his person as God-man ; of the excellency of his ofljces, as our Pro- 
phet, Priest, and King; the honor which he has conferred upon. the 
law that we have violated, and the satisfaction which he has given 
to the Divine justice that we have insulted. It records the syfTer^ 
ings and death of Christ, his victory over the powers of darkness, 
his resurrection from the grave, his ascension to glory, his session at 
the right hand of the Father, and his intercession for sinners on the 
ground of his- vicarious sufferings; and predicts his second coming 
in glory, on the clouds of heaven, to judge the quick and the dead. 

I' do not mean to say that there is no other. truth necessary to be 
preached and believed, but ail the truths of Divine revelation are 
immediately connected with the • doetrine of the cross. This is the 
testimony that the Father hath* testified of his Son. This is the 
glad tidings of great joy which ^hall be tmto all people. This is 
the faithful saying, or true report, that is worthy of all acceptation, 
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save the chief of sinners. 
This is " the glorious gospel of the blessed God f ' emanating from 
his spirit, and conducting to his kingdom.. Let us consider the 
evidences of its Divine authority; . . • . 

*rhe perfections of God, in some degree, are manifested in all Jiis 
works and words; his character is stamped on every thing that his 
hands hath formed, and his mouth hath spoken ; so that there is a 
vast difference between the work and language of Gi3d, and the 
work and language of men. This is especially the case in refer- 
ence to the Christian revelation. It is ^^the gospel of the blessed 
God," and bears throughout the impress of its author. When John 
saw the Lamb in the midst of the throne, he had no difficulty in 
determining' that he was a proper object of adoration and praise. 
As soon as any one sees the stone with seven eyes laid before 
Zerubabeljhe knows that it is not a common stone. When you 
look to the book of the firmament, the fingers of the Creator"'s eter- 
nal power and Godhead are evidently seen in the sun, the moon 
and "the stars.. So, in the Bible, we trace the same Divine hand. 
As often as I read it, I see eternity, with .its flanring eye, gazing 
upon me. Jt unfolds to me the mysteries of creation and provi- 
dence. It informs me who made, and -still sustains and governs 
the universe. It leads me to the spring and original" cause of all 



THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 227 

things ; and places me immediately before the eyes of the eternal 
God ; and I find myself, in his presence, both killed and made ahve 
—most dreadfully oppressed, and set at perfect liberty — sunk in the 
valley of repentance and humihation, and lifted upon the top of 
Pisgah — full of fears, and full of joy — desiring to hide myself from 
his sight, yet wishing to abide in the light of his countenance for 
ever! 

I see the eye of Omniscience looking out upon me from every 
chapter of the Bible — from every doctrine, every precept, every 
promise, every ordinance of the gospel — penetrating alike the dark- 
ness and th€ light — searching me through and through, till I can 
hide nothing froQi its gaze-^giving me a faithful representation of 
my conscience and my heart — making me hate myself, and confess 
my uncleanness,. and cry out for the creation of a right spirit within 
me. And then I see it looking far into futurity — discovering, many 
hundreds of years beforehand, the smallest circumstances in the life 
and death of Jesus, even to the price of his betrayal, the gall mingled 
\yith his drink, and the lot cast for his .vesture. How can I doubt 
that this is the eye of God ? 

* Again : I see Holiness, Justice," and Truth, gazing upon me from 
the very heart of the "gospel, like so many eyes, of cf^suming. fire. 
[ tremble before them, like Moses before the burning bush, or Israel 
at the base of Sinai. Yet do I wish to behold this terrible glory, 
for it is mingled with milder beams of mercy. I take oflfmy shoes, 
and approach -that I may contemplate. " Truly, God is in this 
place !" I cannot live in sin under the intense blaze of his counte- 
nance. But here also I find the cleft of the Rock, even the Rock of 
Ages, wherein he hides me with his hand, while he makes all his 
goodness pass before me, and proclaims to me his name — "The 
Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity, and 
transgressiT)n, and sin, and by no means clearing the guilty !" 
- " The word of God is quick" and powerful, sharper than a two- 
edged sword; piercing to the ■ dividing asunder of soul and. spirit, 
and of the joints and marrow; and discerning" — revealing — con- 
demning — correcting — "the thoughts and intents of the heart." It 
unlocks my soul, and sits upon its throne ; an infallible judge over 
all my secret imaginations;, purposes, and feelings ; bringing them 
under its own perfect law ; examining them in the light of spotless 
holiness, mflexible justice, ^nd eternal truth. And when I shrink 



228 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 

from the scrutiny, overwhelmed with a sense of my corruption, and 
confessing my guilt with a broken and contrite he^rt, then it speaks 
to me of the boundless love of God, and the infinite merit of Christ ; 
and " a still small voice" directs my sight to the holy of holies ; 
where I see, through the rent vail, the King of Zion, sitting upon 
his throne pf grace, more glorious than the ancient Shekinah upon 
the mercy-seat. I approach with joyful confidence, and find him 
invested with my own nature, "God manifest in the flesh," his 
royal gaFments red with sacrificial blood ; and again I hear the still 
small voice — "Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace!" -And 
w^hen the dark mountains^ of tribulation rise up before me, I see 
their tops gilded with beams of love ; and when I look into the 
valley of the shadow of death, I see it brightening with the footsteps 
of the Son of God; and when the soul sits solitary and dejected in 
her mortal prison, longing for the wings of a dovfe, that she may 
fly away and be at rest, she sees the eyes of her Deliverer looking 
through the crevices of the wall, and hears his voice at, the grated 
window — " Fear not, for I am with thee ; be not dismayed, for I 
am thy God !" 

Thus the gospel commends itself to my conscieiice and my heart, 
as " the goi|pel of the blessed GoeT." But tbere is other, and if 
possible still stronger, ppoof of its divinity ; namely, its pow-er to 
renew the human soul,' and reform the human character. The Earl 
of Rochester was a great skeptic, and one of the most wdtty and 
sarcastic men of his age. In his last sickness, he was reading the 
fifty-third chapter of Isaiah; where the prophet, in so graphic and 
touching a manner, describes the vicarious sufferings of Christ. It 
scattered all his d'eisti-cal doubts, as the sun scatters the mist of the 
morning ; led him with a broken and believing heart to the atoning 
Lamb of God ; and converted his death-bed into a vestibule of 
heaven. This is not a solitary case. Thousands and miHioHshave 
been, in like manner, awakened and converted through the gospel, 
and brought to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. It is 
" mighty through God, to the pulling down of stron,g-holds ; cast- 
ing down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself 
against the knowledge of God ; and bringing into captivity every 
thought to the obedience of Christ" — turning men from darkness 
to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive 
remission of sins, and an inheritance among all them that are sane- 



THE GLOKY OF THE GOSPEL. "220 

tified through faith in Jesus. Matthew at the custom-house, th'e 
woman of Samaria at Jacob's well, the dying malefactor upon the 
cross, the penitent jailor at Philippi, the blasphemous persecutor 
on the road to Damascus, and three thousand souls under Peter's 
preaching at the Pentecost, all found it '' the power of God unto 
salvation." And still it retains its convincing a'nd quickening 
virtue. Wherever it is proclaimed in its purity, and accompanied 
with the power of the Holy Ghost, proud and hardened sinners are 
pricked in their hearts, and forced tocry out — " Men and brethren, 
what must we do ?" It answer^ the question. It pohits to the 
crucified and saith — " Belie v-e and be saved!". It reconciles the 
enemy unto God. It makes the hlasphemer a man of prayer, the 
sensualist a man of purity, the inebriate a man of sobriety ; and 
where sifi abounded, grace much more abounds. The dead whom 
JesUs quickened had no time to inquire into the mysterious process 
by which the work was wrought. They sprang instantly, into life 
by the power of God. Yet the evidence of the change was clear 
and incontestible. So it is with the transforming effects of the 
gospel. We cannot rationally doubt its power to raise the soul 
from death in trespasses and sins. Suppose I have been long 
afflicted with a cancer, or have been bitten by a mad-dog, or a 
rattlesnake ; and I find a sovereign and instantaneous remedy ; but 
after I am- cured, a skeptic calls upon me, and tries to convince me 
that the remedy is good for nothing, insists that it is a cheat lately 
invented by a villain, demands of me to prove that such things were 
used before the deluge, and asks me a thousand questions about the 
cure which Solomon could not answer ; how can I look upon such 
a man as better than a maniac ? I have tried the experiment, and 
found it successful ; and all his pretended philosophical reasoning 
rings in my ears like a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. The 
wisdom of men has invented many, remedies for the guilt and the' 
love of sin ; but the vain philosophy of the world has never, like 
the gospel, restored a single soul" to peace, purity, and happiness. 
I can truly say, after the most careful self-examination, and millions 
Inore can testify the same thing, that the gospel, in the hand of the 
Spirit of God, has subdued the love of sin, and quenched the fire 
of .guilt within me ; and has taken away the sting of death, and the 
terrors of the grave. If the infidel will allow that I am a sane man, 

U 



230 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 

and a man of truth, what farther proof does he want that this is 
"the gospel of the blessed God?" 

Once more : The character of God, as exhibited in the gospel, 
is perfect, every way worthy of himself, infinitely above any. ori- 
ginal conception of the human mind. The gods .of Homer and 
Virgil are cruel and revengeful. The god of Mohammed delights 
in pollution and crime. The god of Voltaire is a buffoon, and the 
god of Paine a tyrant. But the gospel represents the Deity in his 
true character, as the concentration and the fountain of all moral 
excellence. 

All this evidence of the Divine authority of the gospel is corro- 
borated by an overwhelming array of external proof. It was cer- 
tainly written by the men whose names it bears. Th-ey were men 
of irreproachable character. Their declarations were confirmed by 
the testimony of miracles, and the fulfilment of prophecy. Jesus of 
Nazareth was crucified on Calvary, rose from the dead the third day, 
and ascended to heaven, according to the Scriptures. ThesQ were 
facts, believed by the primitive Christians-, and admitted by their 
enemies. They were received with the most perfect confidence by 
the immediate successors of the original witnesses ; and farthei- 
corroborated by the testimony of neutrals, apostates, and the most 
inveterate opponents. The question therefore is settled; all is 
admitted that is necessary to prove that the Christian's gospel is 
"the gospel of the blessed God." 

[I. It is " the glorious gospel" — ^emphatically and pre-eminently 
glorious ; and this is our second topic of discourse. 

It is a wonderful exhibition of the glory of God — the most perfect 
revelation of the Divine attributes ever granted to man — displaying 
the sovereign mercy of the Father, in the gift of his beloved Son ; 
the infinite compassion of Christ, in offering himself upon the cross 
for our sins ; and the gracious power of the Holy Spirit, in turning 
us from darkness to light, and renewing us in righteousness and 
true holiness after the image of God. 

But it is chiefly from a comparison of the gospel with the law, 
both in its dispensation and its character, that we see its transcend- 
ant glory. On this point let us fix our attention. 

" The law was given by Moses, but grace anH truth came by 
Jesus Christ." The ministration of the law brought the angels 
from heaven to earth, but the ministration of the gospel required 



THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 231 

the incarnation of the God of angels. The Mediator of the new 
covenant is Jehovah enshiined in humanity — "Emmanuel" — " God 
with us"—'' God manifest in tlye flesh" — '*' the fulness of the God- 
head," that " filleth allin all," imbodied and. made visible in tbe 
lowly Son of David. 

This- is the foundation of the apostla''s argument, by which he 
convicts the' despisers of the gospel of greater guilt liian the trans- 
gressors of the law. " If the word spoken by angels" — that is, the 
law given upt)n Sinai — " was steadfast, &nd every transgression and 
disobedience received a just recompense of reward ; how shall we 
escape" — we who have heard the glad tidings~of the gospel—^' if 
we neglect so great salvation ; which at fiyst began to be spokerr 
by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him ; 
God also bearing them witness, with signs^ and wonders, and divers 
miracles, and gifts of the Hely* Ghost?" If God is" greater than 
man, then the gospel is greater than the law ; and its superior 
excellence constitutes for it a superior claim upon our faith and our 
afFfections ; and the strength of that claim graduates the guilt of its 
rejection. -'There is a fire more intense than that which flamed on 
Sinai, and a judgment more terrible than that of Korah and hia 
confederates. " He that despised3Ioses' law died without. mercy, 
under two or three witnesses ; of how much sorer punishment, 
sup|K)se ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot 
the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant an 
unholy thing, and hath done despite to the Spirit of grace !" 

The ceremonial law contained many a type 'and shadow of Mes- 
siah ; but the gospel is' the history of his advent and mediatorial 
\^'ork. The ceremonial law pointed to the coming Prince of Peace ; 
but the gospel brings him to his throne, and puts the crown upon 
his head. Christ is " the brightness of the Father's glory, and the 
express image of his person ;" and Moses and Aaron are lost in his 
light,*as the moon and the stafis in the blaze of the rising sun. Tjie 
excellence of his person, the merit of hjs sacrifice, and the utility 
of his oflSces, give him an immense Superiority. The many pro- 
phets, priests, and kings, of the former dispejisation, were but the 
shadows cast by the one great Prophet, Priest, and King, whKhi 
indicated his coming. A. light arose from tb^ cross of Calvary, 
which turned the black cloud on Sinai into a pillar of glory. • .- 

Typical bipod shielded the children of -Israel from the arm of-tbe 



232 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 

destroying angel, healed the leper, anointed to holy offices, atonea 
for ceremonial sins, and sealed the covenant of God. with his peaple ; 
but never cancelled the sinner's debt, nor satisfied his conscience, 
nor sanctified his Sections, nor calmed his trembling spirit in the 
hour of death. All these blessings, however, flow from the blood 
of Christ — these, and infinitely more — more than tongue can tell, 
or heart conceive. 

.The gospel -is! emphatically the ministration of mercy — the cove- 
nant of grace, " ordered in all things and sure'' — a goodly ship, 
freighted with .the bread of life, and commanded by the Son of 
God, who has steered into the harbor of our famishing werld, and 
is dispensing the precious provision to all who will accept. These 
are "the sure mercies of David." 

The law is only a partial revelation of the Divine attributes, 
which, in the gospel, are all equally exhibited, and all ^equally 
glorified. Here, ''Mercy and Truth are met together; Righteousness 
and Peace have kissed each other." The justice of God looks 
more, terrible at the cross of Christ than at the gate of hell ; and is 
more glorified in the sufferings of his Son than in the eternal 
agonies of all the damned ; while his mercy is more beautiful-,' 
because more honorable to his administration, than .if sinners had 
been saved without an atonement. - 

Thus, while the law reveals the righteousness of God, the gospel 
brightens the revelation of his righteousness, and adds the revela- 
tion of his grace. While the law imprisons the sinner,* the gospel 
liberates him, yet liberates him according to law. While the law 
shows the malignity of sin, and dooms the sinner to death, the gos- 
pel assents to both, but conquers the one and counteracts the othen 

The law convinces us of our fall; the gospel assures us of our 
redemption. The law 'shows us what we are, and what we owght 
to be; the gospel tells us what we may become, and now the 
change must be effected. The law tears open our wounds ; the 
gospel pours in the healing bairn. The law makes known our duty ; 
the gospel aids us to perform it. The law plunges us m the ditch ; 
the gospel opens to us the purifying fountain. The law is a mirror 
m which we behold our own filthiness and deformity; the gospel is 
a mirror which reflects the glory of God in Christ, and transforms 
the beKever into the same image. 

The law has no fellowship with the sinner — offers no pardon to 



THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. * 233 

the sinner — cannot cure the love of sin in his heart — cannot give a 
spark of life, without perfect obedience', and full satisfaction for past 
offences. Therefore Some accuse th^ law of cruelty — cannot set 
forth the superior glory of the gospel, without representing the law as 
a tyrant or a vagrant. • But it is not the cruelty of the law, but the 
righteousness of the law, that condemns the sinner. This is the 
reason that it hasna alms-house, nor city of refuge, in its dominion. 
Yet '/.the law is our schoolmaster, to bring us to Christ.". By 
convincing us of sin, it shows us our need of a Saviour. "It meets 
the sinner on his way to hell, and drives him badi to Galvar^ ! 

^ut the gospel is more glorious. It enters the sinner's heart, and 
casts out the love of sin, and scourges the traffickers from the temple 
of God. it .enters the prisoner's cell, knocks off his fetters, and 
bids him go free. It descends into the valley of dry bones, makes 
the mouldering skeletons living men, and leads them to Mount 
Zion. with songs of everlasting joy. it gives eyes to the blind, ears 
to the deaf, feet to the lame, tongues to the. dumb, health to. the 
sick, life to the dead, and revives such as are fainting under the 
tercors of the law. It is " the power of God unto salvation to every 
one that believeth." 

The Moravian missionaries in Greenland preached several years 
on the great doctrines of natural religion, and the requiremeats of 
the moral law, without producing any visible 'reformation in. their 
hearers; but under the very first sermon w^hich exhibited "Jesus 
Christ and him crucified,'* many " were pricked in their hearts, 
and led effectually to repentance. 

We have a striking illustration of the distinguishing glory of the 
gospel — its mercy; — in the 'parable of the prodigal son. The young 
man, having received his poj"tion from^ his Father, w^ent into a far 
country, and spent all his substance in drunkenness and debauchery. 
Reduced to the last extremity of w^ant, the proud young nobleman 
hired himself to a citizen of .that country, and became a feeder of 
swine — the meanest employment to whicha Jew could- be degi^aded. 
On the very verge of starvation, we see him snatching the husks 
from the mouths of the detested animals to satisfy his hunger. Now 
he contrasts the present with the past. '' My father's house ! 0, 
my father's house!'"' A trembling hope springs up in his bosom." 
•*' I will arise and go !" I see him coming, full of guilt and shame — • 
halting — trembling — ready to turn back, or lie doAvn by thp way- 
30 * u2 



234 THE 'GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 

side and die. While yet a great way off, the father beholds him — 
O, not with an -eye of anger and revenge ! and runs to meet him— 
O, not with a drawn sword, or an uplifted rod ! He feels ^within 
him the yearning of a father's heart, leaps to embrace the prodigal, 
and pours upon him a mingled shower of kisses and tears. Not a 
reproachful word is uttered — not the slightest censure-^nothing but 
love, ■ " Father, I have sinn<ed ! I am not worthy to be'' — '^Peace, 
my son! Servants, bring a robe, a ring, a pair of shoes; and has'e 
to kill the fatted calf; and let us eat and be merry ; for this my son 
was dead and is alive, wa^ lost and is found!" "And they began 
to be merry." 

Such^ my brethren, is the unspeakable mercy of the gospel, which 
constitutes its distinguishing .glory. It is the law that creates, the. 
famine in the " far country" of sin. The poor prodigal goes about, 
begging for bread ; but none will give him "a crustj or a crumb. 
The desert of Mount Sinai 'is a poor country for a starving soul. 
There is no bread in all that region, and no toleration for beggars. 
If the sinner offers to work for any of the citizens — either for Mr. 
Holiness, or Mr. Justice, or Mr. Truth-^hie is sent into the fields to 
feed swine, till he is thoroughly convinced of the nake.dness of the 
land, and the misery of his lot; and if he faints through famine or 
fatigue, and fails-to perform his task, he is thrust into the house of 
correction, and placed upon the tread-whe^l of remorse, till the 
ministers of mercy come to his relief It is the gospel that whis- 
pers — "Return to thy'father!" It is the gospel that inspires the 
hope of accepiance. It is the gospel that meets him with more than 
paternal welcome, and rains upon him the baptism of blessings 
and tears. It is the gospel that briilgs its robe of righteousness, 
and its ring of favour, and spreads its feast of joy, and calls the an- 
gels to merry-making " over one sinner that repenteth." 

O, the love of God! O, the riches of Christ! ' His salvation is 
more than a restoration to the joys of Eden. He came that we 
might have life, and that we might have it more abundantlj . ' Where 
sin abounded under the law, grace hath. much more abounded under 
the gospel. It is an ooean of blessings — ^."blessings of the heaven 
above, and of the deep that lieth under" — the blessings of Jacob, 
" prevailing above the blessings of his progenitors, unto the utmost 
bound of the everlasting hills" — ^blessings which cannot be circum- 
scribed by time, passing over the mountains which, now diviile us 



THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 235 

from the promised land, and flowing down on the other side into 
the pacific vales of immortality ! 

Such is "the glorious gospel of the blessed God." You have 
seen the evidence of ifs divinity, and the pecuhar excellence of its 
character. . Suffer me to ask, do you believe its doctrines ? do you 
obey its precepts? do you enjoy its' blessings? do jou delight in its 
promises? It commends itself every way to your faith, and your 
affections. It is worthy of all acceptation. It is the light of the 
world — walk ye in it ! It is a feast for the soul' — eat and be satis- 
fied ! It is a river of living water — drink and thirst no more ! 

How miserable is that man who rejects alike its evidences and 
its offers ! How miserable in the hour of death ! As Thistlewood 
said of himself, when on the drop at Newgate, he is " taking a leap- 
in the dark !" How miserable in the day of judgment ! God saith 
— '*^ Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my 
hands all the day long, and no man regarded; but ye have set at 
naught my Counsel, and would none of my reproof; therefore I also 
will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh — 
when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh 
as a whirlwind — when distress and anguish cometh upon you !" 



SERMON XYIL • 

THE SONG OP THE ANGELS. 



** GbrT/ to GgU in the highest^ and on earth p&aSe^^ood will toward. men.^^ — 
Luke ii. 14. • . _ "" ' . • • • 

The most important event recorded in the annals of time, is 'the 
incarnation of the Son of God. Anointed to b£, ^' the Apostle and 
High Priest ©f our profession," it was necessary that he should 
humble himself, to assume our degraded naturej, an-d enter into out 
suffering condition. Had he appeared on earth in the unmitigated 
glory of his Godhead, the children of men could not have borne the 
revelation, and couM not have; been, benefited by his personal minfs- 
try ; neither could he have been " touched with the feeling of our 
infirmities," nor have offered himself a sacrifice for our sins. His 
manifestation in the flesh was essential to the great objects of his 
advent; and no wonder the heavenly host descended to announce 
his coming, and poured forth their delight in this joyful strain ; — 
'^Glory- to. God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward 
men." 

Let us consider, ^r5^. The incarnation of the Eternal Word-; and, 
secondly J The song of the angels on the occasion of his birth. • 

1. Though it is impossible for the immutable God to be made a 
creature, yet the Divine nature was so -closely and mysteriously 
joined to the human, that the same person was ^' a child born^" and 
"the" Mighty God" — " a son given,'^ and "the Everlasting Father." 
The Divinity did not become humanity, and the humanity did not 
become Divinity ; but the two were so united as to constitute but 
one glorious Mediator. 

Though his incarnation did not destroy, or even tarnish in the 
236 



THE SONG OF THE ANGELS. 237 

least, tlie essential glory of the Deity ; yet was it a mighty and mar- 
iVellous condescension, for hina who is " over all, God, blessed for 
ev€r," thus to assume our- frail and suffering flesh. Solomon asked 
• — " Will God in very deed dwell with men upon the earth ?" A 
question which neither men nor angels could answer. But God 
hath answered it himself, and answered it in the affirmative. " The 
Word" that "was in the. beginning with God, and was God," in 
the fulness of time, " was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we 
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 
full of grace and truth." 

We can form no idea of the natural distance between God and 
man. But the infinite vacuum is filled up by the Messiah. He is 
" Emmanuel"--" the true God," and "the Son of Man." "He 
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of 
no reputation, arid tdok upon himself the form of a servantj and 
was made in the likeness of sinful flesh." Passing by the nobler 
nature of angels, " he took on him the seed of Abraham." Nor 
did he join himself to humanity in its original perfection and glory. 
He came into the mean condition of fallen creatures, sharing w^ith 
us our various infirmities and sufferings. Yet he was free from all 
moral contamination. . He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and 
sepai^te from- sinners." He " knew nt) sin." He " did no iniquity, 
neither was guile found in his mouth.'' 

• But notwithstanding thehumility of his appearance, in Bethlehem, 
such was tbe.dignity of hrs" persoii, and ^ such the magnitude and 
grandeur of the work for which he came into the world, that angels 
descended from heaven to publish the glad tidings to the children 
of men. True, no ambassad6rs~were sent to thfe Sanh*ednm at Je- 
rusalem — none to the Senate of Rome, to proclaim the coming of the 
•Prince of Peace ; but never was there such an embassage on earth, 
to announce the birth of a royal son, as that which came to the 
shepherds of Bethlehem. When he appeared among men, the order 
was given in heaven, that all the angels of God should worship 
him ; and their exapiple was followed by wise men upon earth. 
The prophet Isaiah said that his name should be called Wonderful ;'_ 
an4 the angel informed Mary that he should be great, and should 
be called the Sbn of the Highest ; and that God should give unto 
him the throne of his father David, and he should reign over the 
house of Jacob, for ever. " Though he was rich, yet for our sake 



238 THE SONG OF THE ANGELS. 

he became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich.." He 
humbled himself that we might be exalted — was bruised and 
wounded that we might be healed— died- the most shameful death 
that men could inflict, that we might Ifve the most glprious life that 
God can confer ! 

II. Let us now consider the import of the anthem, sung by the 
heavenly host, when he was born in Bethlehem. " Glory to God 
in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." 

.1. '^ Glory to God in the highest." The shining light between 
the cherubim, on the mercy-seat, was called "the glory of the Lord," 
being a supernatural representation of his presence in the sanctuary. 
Three of the apostles saw the same glory upon the mount of trans- 
figuration, and all behevers have seen it by faith. The word 
" glory," in the anthem of the angels, refers to the divine honor 
and praise resulting from the humiliation of Christ. • The redemp- 
tion of sinners, through the blood of the cross, and by the grace of 
the Holy Spirit, is not only consistent with the glory of Gqd, but 
highly promotive of his glory, as our Creator and Lawgiver. It 
brightens all the gems previously visible in hi§ crown, and j^veals 
others that were concealed. His glory, as Seen in the works of 
creation and providence, is the glory of wisdom, power, and love. 
His glory^ as^een in his law and its administration, is the glory of 
holiness, justice, &hd truth. These are essential to his nature and 
his government. But in the incarnation and the cross of Christ, 
we behbld-ti<^ew glory,: a ^ glory nowhere else displayetl, the-glqiy 
of mercy. God was known before to be the friend of saints, but 
here he shows himself the friend of sinners. His character as pre- 
\4ously revealed was matter of admiration and praise in earth and 
heaven, but this new revelation occasions new wonder and rejoicing 
to men and angels. Angels delighted to bear the joyful news to 
men, and this was the burden of their message :^^^ Behold, we 
bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be unto" — the 
righteous ? the benevolent and charitable ? no ; but — " unto -all 
people." And what are these tidings? *^To you is born, this 
day, in the city of David, a Saviour, who 4s Christ the Lord." 
Here is the Lawgiver embracing the rebels; his the glory, theirs 
the benefit; while angels participate the joy of both, singing — 
" Glory to God in the highest, and on. earth peace." 

2^ " Oh earth peace." Not by a compromise with Satan, as he 



THE SONG OF THE ANGELS. 23^ 

proposed when he tempted the Son of God in the wilderness. Not 
at the expense of the Divine law, .but by magnifying and making it 
honorable. Not a peace with enmity, for.jChriSt hath slain the 
enmity by hrs cross. Our peace flows from the reconciling blood 
of Jesus. Nothing else could satisfy the claims of Divine •j.ustice, 
and procure pardon for the penitent believer. • " . . • ^ . 

Without the atonement, there is no peace for sinners. There is 
an*accusing witness within. Behold that king in the banqueting- 
house ! Why changes his countenance ? Why tremble his knees } 
Have the wise men of Babylon interpreted the mystic w^riting upon 
the wall ? ' No ; but conscience has. Oonscienjcg has given dread- 
ful intimati'ons of its meanings, "before JBaniel'cames- into the presenee 
of the king, and the Hebrew prophet only confirms the previous 
interpretation. Every, sinner bears about with him that internal tor- 
mentor. It naay be bribed ; but not for ever. It may be lulled to 
sleep; but" it wdll awake with increased energy, and augmented 
wrath. The gna'wing worm may be stupified for a season, but can- 
not be killed. The devouring, fire may be temporarily stifled, but 
cannot be quenched. How dreadful are its- torments, when it 
wreaks all its anger upon the' guilty! To be drowned in the Red 
Sea, like Pharaoh-^rto-'be swallow^ed up by the earth, like Korah — * 
to be hewn in pieces, Rke Agag — to be eaten of worms, like Herod 
— is nothing in the comparison. . • . 

Where' shall we find peace ? We have heard of a stone which 
nothing but blood can dissolve. ' Such a stone is the human con- 
science. But all.the blood shed on Jewish^altars'could- never effect 
the worlf. ■ It must be the blood of Jesus. He is " the Lamb of 
God that taketh away the sin ef 'ihe world."" At his cross^, the be- 
liever's conscience finds* a.ssurcinee and repose. Her is-, the good 
pliysician, and his- blood 'is the sovereign -balm. Come to his ex- 
tended arms ! .-Coriie, for he waits to be gracious ! 

3. -" Good will toward men." The "goodwill" of whom? Of 
God, blessed for ever.- • The funds of -a benevolent society may be 
exhausted, so that its menjbers in distress can receive no benefit. 
But in the " good will" of God we find unsearchable riches of grace, ■ 
sufficient to pay off our- whole debt to the law, and restore aur for- 
feite-d inheritance ; to briifg.forth the prisoners, and them that sit m 
darl^ness, out of the prison-house ; to support the believer through 
life, and comfort him in death, and raise him from the grave,. not a 



240 THE SONG OF THE ANGELS. 

beggar, or a pensioner, but a prince, clothed in white, and entitled 
to an everlasting kingdom. 

Did I possess the nature of angels,- with my present sinfulness, J 
should have no hope of salvation, for God hath provided no merey 
for falkn angels; but, in- his infinite wisdom, he hath devised a 
method for the consistent display of his "good will toward, men," 
by assuuiing their nature, and in that nature atoning for their sins. 
This is a wonderful scheme, whereby God can be just, and yet justify 
the ungodly. His law is honoured, though its violater be acquitted; 
and his government is secure, though the rebel be forgiven. 

Methinks I hear the Infant in Bethlehem, speaking from the 
manger, in the strain of^the Evangelical Prophet:: — "is my band 
shortened at all, that I 'cannot redeem-; or have I no power to- 
deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, and make the 
rivers a wilderness ; I clothe the heavens ^ith' blackness, and ipciake 
sackcloth their covering. Though ye see me in human flesh,.! am 
still Lord of all, and can save unto the uttermost. Though ye do 
not hear me, I have the toitgue af the learned, to speak a word in 
season to him that is weary. I have taken upon myself your nature, 
tl^at I may be able. to sympathize in your sufferings,.' and make satis- 
faction for your sins. For you will I give' ray bac^ to^the %miters^ 
a-nd my cheek to them that' pluck off the hair; and I will not hide 
my face from shame -and • spitting. Calvary and Joseph's ^grave 
shall manifest ^-my beneyolemce, 'and it shall be seen that my mercy 
is mightier; than death. Who will contend with me? Let him 
come nearl Let us stand together ! , I challenge all the po\y^Bs 
of darkness to defeat the purposes ^f my grace. J will triumph by 
suffering. I will -dash them in pieces as -a potter's vessel. Hell 
shall tremble at the report; and on every gate and door-post, in 
all my journey from this place , to Golgotha, and thence home to 
my Father's house, shall be inscribed -the record of my good will 
toward meti !" ' • ■ 

'/This is a faithful saying, and Woj-thy of all. acceptation, that 
Christ Jesus came into' the. world to save sinners." Behold him 
pressing the wine of eternal life for us from the cup of his own 
mortality; demolishing the kingdom of darkaess on earth, and 
establishing in its stead the kingdom of heaven ;• destroying the 
works of the devil, delivering the captives from his iron yoke, and 
uniting sinners to himself in everlasting fellowship and love. The 



THE SONG OF THE ANGELS. 241 

whole economy of Divine grace, based on the incarnation of the 
Son of God, is like a complicated piece of machinery, consisting 
of many wheels, all revolving in harmony, and impelled by the 
same power. Salvation is a river, flowing from the manger in 
Bethlehem, conveying eternal life to millions, and bearing away 
many a precious gem from the dominions of death and hell. It 
has already swept from the earth more false gods than would have 
filled the Roman Pantheon ; and carried multitudes of human souls, 
pardoned and purified, to Abraham's bosom. No opposition of 
men or devils can stand before "the glorious gospel of the blessed 
God." that its light may shine into the heart and the conscience 
of every hearer ! May the goodness of God lead you all to repent- 
ance, and fill you with peace in believing ! Then will you go forth 
with joy, and publish his '' good will toward men ;" and when the 
purposes of his mercy are accomplished in your hearts, you shall be 
removed from grace to glory — from peace to perfect love — and sin 
and sorrow shall be shut out for ever ! Amen. 



31 X 



SERMON XYIII. 

THE STONEOF ISRAEL. 



" Behold the stone that I have laid before -Joshua. Upon one stone shall he seven 
eyes. Behold., I will engrave the graving thereof j, sadth the Lord of hosts, and ' 
I will remove the iniquiiy of thai land in one day.'''' — Zech. iii. 9. 

Amid all the tribulations which the church has suffered, she has 
ever been preserved and sustained by the gracious providence, of 
God ; like the bush in Horeb — biirning, yet uncons-umed. 

In the days of this prophet, the church was feeble and afflicted. 
.Having just returned from the captivityin Babylon, by which, she 
had been greatly reduced, she resembled the myrtle, among the 
oaks^ the firs, and the cedars. But the M-essiah appears to the 
prophet, standing among the myrtle-trees,- and .encoi^raging the 
children of Israel to proceed in rebuilding Jerusalem and the tem- 
ple. The good succeiL's of Zerubbabel is represented by a. golden 
candlestick, with a bowl at the top, and s'even" lamps for fhe light, 
and seven pipes to. convex the oil to the lamps, and two olive-trees 
— one on each side- — pouring the oil into "the pipes. This was 
intended also to set forth the relation of Christ to his church; as 
her head, and the fountain whence she derives strength and nourish- 
ment, enabling her to grow in grace, and the saving knowledge of 
God. As they bring forth the foundation and the corner-stones 
with joy, wondering at the Divine goodness and mercy,- Jehovah 
shows. them that he is about to lay in Zion the foundation and chief 
oorner-stone of a spiritual temple: " Behold the stone that I have 
)aid before Joshua^ Upon one stone shall be seven eyes. Behold I 
will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will 
reiifiove the iniquity of that land in one day." 
243 



THE STONE OF ISRAEL. 243 

Let us consider the important truths taught us in this metaphori- 
cal description of Christ and his mediatorial work. 

.1. Christ is the foundation aiid chief corner-stone of his church. 
This figure is often used in the Holy Scriptures. " From hence is 
the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel" — said Jacob in the blessing of 
Joseph. " The stone which the builders refused,'-' said the Psalm- 
ist, " is become' the head-stone ofth'e corner." And Isaiah said — 
■" Thus saith the Lord God : Behold, I la}^ inZion, for a founda- 
tion, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-Stone, a sure founda- 
tion." All these predictions were appropriated by Messiah, to 
whom they were intended to apply. Christ is the foundation and 
chief corner-stone. " Other foundation can no man lay than that 
which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." "Ye are built upon the 
foundation of the apostles and prophets"- — that is, the foundation 
which -they recognised and recommended — "Jesus Christ- himself 
being the chief corner-stone." He is indeed the foundation of the 
world ; and in the fulness of time, was declared the foundation of 
the church. All the buildings of mercy that have ever beeii erected 
stand firm and immoVable on this Rock. of Ages. 

In the architecture of the fii-st covenant in Eden, there was a 
Stone under one end, .and earth under the other. " The first man 
was of the earth, earthy." And when the storm and the flood 
came, the earth gave way, and the building fell. But in the archi- 
tecture of the second covenant upon Calvary, God laid help upon 
one that was mighty. " The second man is the Lord from hea- 
ven." A stone suitable for the foundation of a royal palace is very 
valuable, because the safety of tlie building depends upon the 
firmness of -the foundation. This Stone is "chosen of God and 
precious." It is long and broad enough for the whole edifice, 
stretching from eternity to eternity.;., and sufficiently strong ta sus- 
tain it, though millions of living stones be built into the., spiritual 
temple ; and such is its firmness, that time, with all its storms, 
shall never destroy it, or injure its beauty. It is a tried and pre- 
cious stone, composed of all that is excellent on earth, and all that 
is glorious in heaven — a sinless specimen of humanity, possessing 
" all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." As a foundation, it is 
laid deep ih". the earth ; as a corner-stone, it rises above the stars, 
and binds the whole building in heaven and earth together. 

tl. Iliis Stone is "laid before Joshua." God has revealed his 



244 THE STONE OF ISRAEL. 

S"on, as the only foundation, and chief corner-stone, to the wise 
master-builders of his church, in every age of the world. The seed 
was promised in Eden. Holy men of old beheld the promises afar 
off. Abraham desired to see his day; he saw it, and was glad. 
This was the foundation of the prophets and apostles. As Moses 
found so much of God in the rod that was in his hand, that he 
could think of no other means for working a miracle ; so the pro- 
phets and apostles saw and felt so much of Christ in the revelations 
of which they were made the media, that they could never think of 
salvation from sin and hell but through his meritorious death ; and 
the most dreadful tortures, and even martyrdom itself, lost their 
terrors in "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in- the 
face of Jesus Christ." 

This Stone was laid also before WicklifTand Luther. The office 
and work of Christ had been lost sight of, in the intercession of 
saints, and the merit of human works. But " the foundation of 
God standeth sure ;" and all the rubbish which Roman monks had 
heaped upon it could not hide it from the reformers, whose vision 
had been cleared and. quickened Jby light from heaven. And it was 
laid before Wesley and Whitefield in England, who built upon it 
"gold, silver, and precious stones;" and before Powell, Erbery, 
and Wroth — before Rowlands, Harris, Jones, Evans, Thomas, and 
Francis — as the foundation of that wonderful revival in Wales, the 
blessed effects of which we feel to this day. 

We are now endeavoring to exhibit the glory and excellency of 
this Stone, as the foundation of your hopes. Will you build upon 
Christ ? Can you venture your eternal salvation upon the merit of 
his sacrifice ? " He that believeth on him shall not be ashamed." 

HI. It is said that "upon one stone shall be seven eyes;" by 
which we may understand, either seven eyes of others, looking 
upon the stone ; or seven eyes in the stone, looking upon others. 

If we take the former idea, there are many eyes looking upon 
this " One Stone ;" some from envy, malice, and wrath ; others 
from astonishment) gratitude, and love. It attracts" the gaze of 
heaven, earth, and hell. The eternal Lawgiver looks to Messiah 
for satisfaction on behalf of guilty man. Mercy and Truth look 
upon him as the foundation of their palaces. Righteousness and 
Peace look upon him as the only place where they can salute each 
other with a kiss. The devil and his angels, sin, death, and the 



THE STONE OF ISRAEL. 245 

grave, look upon him with eyes of anger and revenge; deter- 
minedj if possible, to bruise him with their weapons, and cast him 
among the rubbish, into the pit of corruption. Celestial spirits look 
upon him with eyes of wonder and delight; announce his coming 
to Joseph and Mary, sing his advent to the shepherds of Judea, 
accompany him through all his pilgrimage of sorrow, minister to 
him after the temptation in the wilderness, talk with him on the 
mount of transfiguration, sustain him in the agony of the garden, 
gather unseen around his cross, roll away the rock from the entrance 
of his tomb, and attend him with songs as he ascends to glory. 
And believers look upon him with eyes of faith and love, as the 
foundation of all their hopesy in this world, and that which is to 
come — as their "wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and re- 
demption." 

The other interpretation refers these " seven eyes" to the per- 
fection of our Lord's mediatorial character. The priest under the 
law was to sprinkle the blood seven times upon the mercy-seat, 
and seven times upon the leper ; the first to typify a perfect atone- 
ment for sin ; the second, a perfect application of its benefits to the 
believer. When the Lamb of God revived from the ashes on the 
altar of Calvary, he appeared " in the midst of the throne," having 
seven horns and seven eyes, to denote the completeness of his pro- 
phetic wisdom, and the fulness of his regal authority. He sustains 
to his people the threefold relation of high-priest, prophet, and 
king. He is our high-priest, not after the order of Aaron, whom 
death robbed of his sacerdotal vesture ; but " a high-priest for 
ever, after the order of Melchizedec." He is our prophet, speak- 
ing with the tongue of the learned, and as one having authority — 
speaking to the conscience and the heart, and the dead hear his 
voice and live. He is our king, according to the decree, " on the 
holy hill of Zion ;" exalted by the right-hand of the Father, and 
" declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection 
from the dead." Methinks I hear the Father speaking to Caia- 
phas: — "Have you a law, and do you say that by your law he 
ought to die ? I will read to you the law on the morning of the 
third day, and you shall see that he is the resurrection and the life 
— that I have made him both Lord and Christ!" And methinks I 
hear the voice of the risen Messiah : — " I have travelled through 
the forest of the world's temptations, through the dens of lions, the 

x2 



246 THE STONE OF ISRAEL. 

mountains of leopards, the dark haunts of devils, and the dominions 
of death and the grave ;. and have op-ened, through all the desert, a 
new and' living way to my Father's house. The powers of dark- 
ness thought to strip me of my official regalia, and bind me for 
ever in the grave ; but I have broken .Caesar's seal, and rent the 
rocks of Joseph's sepulchre, and am alive' for evermore — the high- 
priest, prophet, and king of Israel. Though I gave myself up to 
death upon the cross, death could not deprive me of my threefold 
office. I died with my v^esture ouj my miter and breastplate, ^s 
high-priest over the house of God. I died with the book of the 
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven in my hand, as a prophet to 
instruct my people, and lead them into all* truth. I died with the 
crown upon my head, and all my enemies beneath my feet, as a 
king, whose dominion is everlasting, and whose glory shall never 
end. Death and hell could not take from me my triple diadem ; 
and I came forth from the place of the dead in the power of an 
endless life; and will continue to wear my robes "unspotted, till I 
have finished my mediatorial work, and gathered all the saints unto 
myself!" . 

IV. This- stone is fitted and prepared by God himself. ^^ I Avill 
engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts." 

This -figure evidently refers to the sufferings of Christ, by -which 
he was made perfect for his mediatorial work. Many hammers and 
chisels were upon him from Bethlehem to Calvary ; but they were 
all appointed of God, as the instruments of his preparation to be the 
sure foundation and chief corner-stone of the church. The Scribes 
and the Pharisees, Caiaphas, Judas, Pilate5 the Jewish populaco, and 
the Roman soldiery, whatever their malicious designs, only accom- 
plished " the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" upon 
his well-beloved Son. All was appointed by the Father; all was 
understood by the Messiah ; all was necessary to secure the great 
objects of his advent. It pleased the Father to bruise him, and put 
him to grief; and he cheerfully subrnitted to suffer, that we might 
be spared. O, wonder of wonders! Emmanuel wounded, that 
sinners might be healed ! the Golden Vessel marred, that the earthen 
vessels might be saved ! the Green Tree dried up, that the dry tree 
might grow as the lily, and bast forth its roots like Lebanon ! Ac- 
cording to another metaphor, " the plowers plowed upon his back ; 
they made long their furrows." And they were deep as well as 



THE STONE OF ISRAEL. ' ■ 247 

long. They -plowed into his very heart, and his body was covered 
with blood, and his ery of agony pierced the supernatural gloom of 
Golgotha, and soured the wine of dragons throughout the region of 
Gehenna ! 

Thus the foundation w^as fitted and prepared -y and wicked men 
and devils but blindly did the work which God had before deter^ 
mined to be done. It is fixed in its place, firm and iihmovable ; 
and the chief Architect is raising other stones from the quarry, and 
building them' thereon, " for a habitation of God' through the Spirit." 
Brethren, "look unto the rock whence ye are lietvn, and the hole 
of the' pit whence ye' are digged"" — even the flinty ro'ck of impeni- 
tence, and the horrible pit of corruption! I have known men relin- 
quish the hewing of stones from the quarry, because it was more 
e;xpense than profit ; and I have known men abandon the digging 
of ore from the mine; b£cause it was too deep in the mountain. 
But Christ " descended into the lower parts of the earth," and im- 
bibed the' gas of death: He carried in* his hand the hammer of 
the word, which breaketh the flinty rock in pieces. He expelled 
the deadly vapour, blasted the solid adamant, arid prepared the way 
for the workmen ; and when he ascended, he sent down the apos- 
tles, to gatl\er- stones for his spiritual temple; while he stands at the 
top .of the shaft, and turns the windlass of 'intercession, by- which 
he' 'draws up all to himself. 

The work was gloriously begun on" the day of Pentecost, and. 
men and detnons have never yet been able entirely to stop its pro- 
gress. •' The pope and the devil tried "their best, for a long time, to 
keep the digging and hewing tools, of the twelve wise master-build- 
ers concealed in the vaults of the monasteries ; but Luther, 'with the 
lamp of God in his hand, discovered them, brought them forth, and 
set them at work ; and millions of lively stones have since been 
dug out, and sent up from the pit, to be placed in the walls of 
<' God's. building." ' . 

And still the gospel is mighty in the salvation of souls, of which 
we- have abundant evidence in tKe principality. What- multitudes 
were converted at Langeiththo in the days of Rowlands alnd Wil- 
liams; when Two thousand communicants in the* winter, and three 
thousand in the summer, met every month in the same place around 
the table of the Lord ! And there are' now in Wales hundreds of 
large and flourishing churches among the Baptists and Independents. 



248 THE STONE OF ISRA.EL. 

Glory to God, that I have in my own possession the register of hun- 
dreds, who have been hewn from the flinty rock, and raised from 
the horrible pit, to a place in the Lord's holy temple — from drunk- 
enness to sobriety, from unbelief to faith in Christ, from enmity 
to reconciliation to God, from persecution to patient suffering for 
righteousness' sake, from disobedience to the filial temper of " sons 
and daughters of theLord Almighty;" and many of them I have 
seen going home, rejoicing, to their Father's house above ! 

Hark! what do I hear? The hammers and chisels of mercy all 
over the mountain of the militant church. The great Architect is 
building up Zion. He is gathering his materials from Europe, and 
Asia, and Africa, and America. Glory to God ! I hear his footsteps 
to-day in this mountain ; I see his hand in this congregation. Bre- 
thren in the ministry, w^e are w^orJ^ers together with him. Delight- 
ful work ! How^ easy it is to preach, when the hand of God is with 
us ! Let us labour on ! The topstone will soon be brought forth 
with shouting, the sound of the building shall cease, and w^e shall 
receive our reward ! 

V. The gracious design for which this Divine Foundation .is pre- 
pared, is the justification and sanctification of sijjners. " I will 
remove the iniquity of that land in one day." 

Christ came to destroy the w^orks of the devil — to take away sin 
by the offering of himself. As the moon is illuminated by the sun, 
so the rites and ceremonies of the old testament are illustrated by 
the facts and doctrines of the new^ The priesthood of Jesus 
explains the priesthood of Aaron. The one sacrifice of Calvary 
explains all the sacrifices that went before. - The glory of God in 
the face of Jesus Christ enters the window^s of Solomon's temple, 
and penetrates the Lloly of Holies w^ithin the vail. All the bloody 
offerings of the Mosaic ritual were intended only as types of him 
who " removed the iniquity of that land in one day." 

What land? Emmanuel's land — a garden enclosed, and mea- 
sured by the line of God's eternal purpose ; including all the re- 
deemed of the Lord, who will ultimately be brought to glory. The 
map of " that land" w^as in the mind of Jehovah, when he made 
this promise through the prophet. He ren\embered his covenant 
engagement before the foundation of the w^orld in reference to its 
redemption. He saw it encumbered by mountains of sin, and 
blasted by the fiery cufse of the law; and inlhe fulness of time, he 
sent his Son to deliver it. 



THE STONE OF ISRAEL. 249 

To remove iniquity is to remove its penalty and its pollution 
Christ bath accomplished both for believers. He " bore our sins in 
his o^vn body on the tree!" He carried upon his own shoulder the 
burden which must have sunk the whole human race to eternal perdi- 
tion. By enduring our punishment, he provided for our purification. 
In his own wounds a fountain was opened wherein we may wash 
and be clean. From his own heart the balm was exti'acted whereby 
our moral leprosy may be cured.. " Behold the Lamb of God, that 
taketh away the sin of the world." See how" our great High-priest 
removes the iniquity of his people ; not, like Aaron, by many sa<!ri- 
fices; but by the single offering of himself, " in one day." 

The word which is here -rendered " remove" is in the original 
the same as that which is used to express the translation of Enoch. 
As Enoch was removed from the earth, beyond the sight of man, 
and the power of .death; so sin is removed by the Mediator — re- 
moved for ever from the believer's heart and conscience — blotted 
out-^cast into the depth of the gea — carried away into the land of 
forgetfulness. The removal is perfect and everlasting. 

This was a work which iJewish sacrifices were too weak to accom- 
plish. For two thousand years the victims bled upon tha altar, and 
not a single, sin was actually removed. Every year the goat of the 
burnt-Oifering must bleed afresh, and the scape-goat mjist he sent 
away into the wilderness. But Jesus, the great ante-type of all 
these emblems, removed in one day, by a single offering, the ini- 
quities of all who believe in hi-m, from the fall to the end, of time. 

All the sacrifices that preceded his coming were intended only to 
remind men that they w^ere sinners, that they needed an atonement, 
and that justifieation and eternal life could flow only from the me- 
ritorious sufferings of the future Christ. . But when the substance 
came, the shadows passed away, and the promisee^ work was at 
once accomplished ; and all our iniquities were lost in the sea of 
mercy, which rose to a full tide in the Mediator's merit. 

Sinners, do you expect ever to b^ made free from sin ? Would 
you have your leprosy cured, your impurity cleansed, and the curse 
removed? Come to our- great High-priest! Lo, he stands by the 
altar, and the blood is on his hands! He waits to be gracious! 
Come, for he has virtually removed your iriiquity, and it requires 
in you but a simple act of faith to realize the benefit ! " Believe in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, and tjiou shalt be saved!" 
32 



• SEEMON XIX. 

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 



" But how should man he just with GocZ P'^—Job ix. 2. 

The Almighty proclaimed, himself to Moses, ^^the Lord, merci- 
ful and gracious;" and io- the New Testament, he is called "the 
God of all grace." "Where sin abounded, grace did much more 
abound; 'that as sin reigned unto death, even so might grace reign, 
through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." 
God is determined to glorify the unsearchable riches of his grace 
in the salvation pf sinners. But how can this be done, withou^t 
casting a cloud over the Divine throne, and brihging into contempt 
the Divine law ? How can the guilty be considered ^id treated as 
innocent, without an apparent indifference to the evil of sin, and a 
total disregard of the claims of eternal justice ? How mi\ the rebel 
be acquitted in the court of Heaven, with honor to the character of 
God, and safety to the interests of his moral government?- This 
is a question which. angels could not answer; but it has been 
answered by the God of angels. The light of nature and reason 
is too feeble to afford us any aid in this inquiry; "but we have a 
more sure w^ord of prophecy, whereunto we do well j;hat we take 
heed, as unto a lioht thafshineth in a dark place ;" for " God hath 
shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory 
of God, in fhe face of Jesus Christ." 

Following, then, the guidance of the New Testament,* let us 
consider the nature and the ground of a sinner's justification with 
God. . 

I. To justify is the public act of a judge, declaring a person 
innocent, not liable to punishment. " It is God that justifieth" the 
250 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 251 

ungodly. Justification, in its strict sense, and remission of sins, 
are two very different things. Job could forgive his friends ; bul 
he could not justify them. But in the. gracious economy of the 
gospel, these are always immediately connected ; nor 'these alone, 
but other arid superior mercies — mercies infinite and unspeakable. 
Those whom God justifieth are not only forgiven, but also purified 
and renewed — not only delivered from condemnation, but also 
entitled to eternal life — not only redeemed from the curse of the 
law, but also blessed wuth the spirit and the privilege of adoptioi- 
— not only liberated from bondage ,and imprisonment, but' also con- 
stituted heirs "to an inheritance that fadeth not away." They are 
"heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Chri-st." They are kings and 
prie.sts, and shall reign for ever and ever. ■ God having given his 
Son as our surety, and published " the law of the spirit of life in 
Christ Jesus," and taken his seat upon the throne of grace in the 
character of a merciful judge, he proclaims the believer free from 
condemnation,, and " accepted in the Beloved." 

In a human court, a man may be either justified or forgiven. 
Sometimes the jury find the prisoner innocent, and he is acquitted ; 
sometimes they find him guilty, and he is forgiven. ■ The former 
is an act of justice ; the latter, an act of mercy. No earthly court 
can go farther; no earthly court can justify the guilty. But God 
is able, through the wonderful economy of substitution and atone- 
ment revealed in the gospel, in the same court, from .the same 
throne, by the same laW^, and in the same sentence, to proclaim full 
pardon and free justification to the sinner. By virtue of the obedi- 
ence and suffering of Christ on his behalf, he is at -once for-given 
and justified. Faith unites us to Christ, and gives us an interest 
in him, as our Mediator, who " bore our sins in his own body oil 
the tree." " Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the 
m^n to whom God imputeth righteousness without works : — Blessed 
are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered ; 
blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." 

The righteousness by which the sinner is justified infinitely tran- 
scends all other righteousness in earth or heav^en. It is the right- 
eousness of the Second Adam — an invaluable pearl, to which all 
the members of Christ's mystical body are equally entitled. It is 
the pure gold of the gospel, which cannot be mixed with the works 
of the law, or derive any increase of value from human merit. It 



252 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 

lies upon the very surface of evangelical truth, like oil upon the 
water. It is the righteousness finished upon the cross— a complete- 
wedding garment furnished by the Son of God, which the sinner has 
only to put on to be prepared for the marriage supper of the Lamb. 

How cold and cheerless is the doctrine of the mere moralist, 
leaving the poor sinner wallowing in the mire, and weliering in his. 
blood, with nothing but his own works to depend upon for salva- 
tion ! But the doctrine of justification through the satisfying right- 
eousness of Jesus Christ warms the heart, and quickens the soul of 
the believer into a hew and heavenly life. Heje is our deliverance 
from the curse of the law. ' Here the relation between us and 
Adam is annihilated, and another relation is established. between 
us and Christ. Here is the sea into Vv^hich our sins 'are cast to rise 
no more. " There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them 
who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh; but after the 
spirit;" and they may boldly say—" Lord, I will praise thee ; 
for though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, 
and thou comfortest me!" 

n. The ground of our justification now claims a more particular 
attention. 

This is a subject of the greatest importance ; for if w-e build upon 
the sand, the whole superstructure inevitably falls, and great inust 
he the fall thereof. The Jews, being ignorant of God's righteous- 
ness — the righteousness of faith — went about to establish their "own, 
which was by the works of the law. Let us examine these two 
foundations — the righteousness which is of the law, and that which 
is of faith. 

What sort of righteousness does the law demand, as the ground, 
of our acceptance with God ? It must originate in the heart. It 
must be commensurate with life, and not a broken link in the chain, 
for he that oflendeth in one point is guilty of all. It niust be- so 
comprehensive as to include all your duties to God, your neighbor 
and yourself. It must engage all the' powers of your mind, with- 
out the least imperfection, in thought, word, or deed. The coin 
must be pure gold, of full weiglit and measure, and bearing the 
right and lawful stamp. ^' Cursed is every one that continueth not 
in all things written in the book of-the law to do them." 

•" But what saith the righteousness which is of faith ?" " Believe 
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." "He that 



JUSTHi'IGATION BY FAITH. '253 

beliereth' shall nerer be confounded." " Christ is the end of the 
?aw for righteousness to every one that belieyeth." ^^He hath 
magnified the law, and made it honorable." " He hath redeemed 
us from the eurse of the law, being made a curse for us." This is 
the doctrine which answers all our questions, removes all our guilty 
fears, and opens to us- a path of hope in the valley of the shadow 
of death. The justifying righteousness of Christ is as deep as the 
misery of man, as high as the requirements of God, as broad as the 
commandment, and as long as eternity. It is sufficient for all them 
that believe, and able to sa*'e nnto the uttermost. It is a deluge 
which covers the mountains of transgression, and bears the believer 
securely in tlie ark. It comes to the sinner, shut up under the 
judgment of God, and reads to him the article of his manumission. 
I hear it addressing the guilty in the following language : — 

"I saw the Son- of God coming forth from the bosom of the 
Father, and uniting himself to the nature of man. I saw the 
mighty God manifested in the Son of Mary, and lying in a manger. 
I beheld some of hisi blood shed, as an earnest to the law, when he 
was eight days old. I stood in the garden of Gethsemane, when 
he drank the cup of trembling mingled and presented by his 
Father's justice. I was with him on Calvary, when he blotted out 
the handwriting of Eden and Sinai, and nailed it to his cross — 
when he finished the redemption of man, and spoiled the powers 
of darkness, and sealed with his own blood the covenant of peace. 
I beheld him descending to the lower parts of the earth, and lying 
under the sinner's sentence in the grave. I beheld him rising in 
the same human nature, with the- keys of death and hell in his 
hand, and the crown of the mediatorial kingdom upon his head. I 
beheld him ascending to the right-hand of the Father, leading thy 
captivity captive, and entering into heaven itself, there to appear in 
the presence of God for thee. And now I see him in the midst of 
the throne, as' a lamb newly slain ; and the merit of his sacrifice, 
as a sweet-smelling savor, fills the heaven of heavens. On thy 
behalf he has honored the 'law, satisfied the claims of justice, and 
opened a new and living way, whereby God can "be just, and the 
justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." 

Thus the question is answered — " How should man be just with 
God?" Sinners are "justified freely by his grace, through the 
redemption that is in Christ Jesus." " Therefore we conclude 

Y 



254 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 

that- a man is justified by faith, without the deeds' of the law." 
This is the key-stone of the gospel, and the strength of the arch of 
salvation. The only way to obtain acceptance with God is by 
grace ; " and if by grace, then it is no more of works." Jn the 
justification of the sinner. Divine grace and human works can no 
more be mixed together than oil and w^ater, for they b.elong to dif- 
ferent • covenants. Christ came into the world, not to repair the 
old covenant, but to be the mediator of a new covenant, established 
upon better promises — '"not to mend the leaky and sinking vessel of 
the law, but to build and launch a ne\%ark of salvation^ and rescue 
the shipwrecked . and the drowning. The law could not sav6. 
"The law is holy, but we are unclean. The law is spiritual, but 
W£ are carnal. The law is righteous, but we are guilty. The law 
is good, but every imagination of the thoughts of the heart of man 
is evil, and only evil, and that continually. The law will not con-, 
sent to a compromise with the sinn'fer, will, not relax its' claims upon 
him, nor in any way accommodate itself to his fallen condition. 
Its power to condemn is commensurate with its authority to com- 
mand. • • - 

Thus we see how it is that no man can be justified by the deeds 
of the law. We are not under the law, but under grace. Were 
we under th'e law, the deeds of the law would be sufficient fof our 
justification. The law detoands obedience ; obedience satisfies 
the law. Between 'obedience and the law there is perfect corre- 
spondence and harmony ; the one gives what the other asks. There 
is also, a perfect agreement between grace, and faith. -Grace bestows 
freely, without money and without price ; and faith, having nothing 
to pay, receives ■ humbly and thankfully. Grace, by bestowing, 
acquires great glory ; faith, by receiving, obtains" great happiness. 
, God confers blessings according to the riches of his grace ; sin- 
ners receive according- to the strength of*their faith. Faith and the 
law cannot agree. at all, for both are seeking and receiving; neither 
can works and grace agree, for both live by communicating. 
Therefore *' by grace are ye saved, through faith ; and that not of 
yourselves, it is the gift of God ; not of works, lest any man should 
boast." Ye are justified through the righteousness and merit of 
■ Christ, who became your substitute, and both obeyed the law and 
suffered the penalty in your stead.. 

Inis view of the ground of a sinner's justification is everywhere 



JUSTIFICATION. BY FAITH. ' 255 

sustained in the Holy Scriptures. "By tlie obedience of one, 
sKall many be made righteous." "."By the righteousness of oiie, 
the free gift came upon all men, unto justificatiDn of hfe."- ^' The 
obedience of one," and "the righteousness of one," in these two 
sentences, signify the same thing. Again : '' He who knew no sin 
was '.made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of 
God in him.'^ " In whom we hare redemption through his blood, ' 
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." '' All 
we like sheep have g.one astray, and the Lord h'ath laid on him the 
iniquity of us all. He was wounded for our transgressions; he 
was bruised for oui- iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was 
upon him, and with his stripes we are healed."' 

The perfect obedience of Christ, and his meritorious death, were 
both necessary, as the. ground of a sinner's justification. Neither 
would ha\^ been sufficient without the other. His obedience 
would not answer without his 'death ; for the law which had been 
broken must be honored ; and the penalty which had been incurred 
b.y the sinner must be endured by the Substitute. Neither would 
his death answer without his obedience ; for it is the- obedient, and 
not the punished, that the. law\ justifies ; he who keeps the precept, 
and'not he who endures the penalty'. It is only bysatisfjdng both 
claims on our behalf, that Christ " of God is made unto us wisdom, 
and righteousness, 'and sanctificationj and redemption." 

When it is said we are justified by faith, it is jiot meant that 
there is any merit in faith, any justifying efficacy ; but that taith. is 
the condition on which we are justified for the sake of hirn who 
.obeyed and ' suffered for us — the Divinely- appointed means by 
which we appropriate the. merit of his obedience and suffering. It is 
by the eye of faith we see' the excellency and adaptation of Christ's 
righteousness and merit'; and it is "by the hand of faith we take and 
put on the wedding garmerit provided for us, and thus prepare 
ourselves for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Faith is the bond 
w^jiich unites us to Christ,. by virtue of which union we are justi- 
fied. Faith is the wedding ring by which the poov daughter of 
the old Amorite is married to the Prince of Peace. She is raisetl 
from the greatest poverty and degradation to unspeakable opulence 
and honor, not because of the intrinsic value of the ring, though it 
is a golden one ; but on account of the union w^hich it signifies 
between her and her Beloved. "• He that hath the Son hath life " 



256 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 

" But faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a 
man may say — Thou hast faith, and I have works. Show me thy 
faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my 
works. Thou believest that there is one God ; thou doest well ; 
the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain 
man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our 
father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upjDn 
the altar ? Seest thou how faith .wrought with his works ? And 
by works was faith made perfect ; and the scripture was fulfilled 
which saith — Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him 
for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. Ye see, 
then, how^ that by works a man is justified, and ^lot by faith only. 
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when 
she had received the messengers, and sent them out another w^ay ? 
For cis-the body without the spirit is dead, so faith withaut works 
is dead also."* 

We have noticed the nature and ground of justification; in 
these words of the Apostle, we have the evidence of justification. 
The same doctrine was preached by our Saviour :^ — " For by thy 
works thou shalt be- justified, and by thy works thou shalt be con- 
demned." Works justify only as 4;he fruit of faith. A faith^that 
does not produce good works is inefficient and worthless. It is 
not the faith wjiich justifies the ungodly. What is it that justifies a 
man in a court of law ? The goodness of his cause ? No, verily. 
A man of common sense will not think of making a long speech to 
the jury, without adducing any evidence of the truth of his state- 
ments. My fellow sinners, if your cause is good, why do you not 
prove it ? Why not bring forward your evidence ? Why not act 
in this supremely important case as in every other? If you haVe 
justifying faith, let us see the fruit in a sanctified life. " Let your 
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and 
glorify your Father which is in heaven." 

In this world, every man receives according to his faith ; in the 
'^'orld to come,- every man shall receive according to his works. 
" Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from 
their labors, and their works do follow them." Their works do 
not go before them to divide the river Jordan, and open the gates 

* James ii. 17—26. 



•JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 257 

of heaven. This is done by their faith. But their works are left 
behind, as if done up in a packet, on this side of the river. John 
saw the great white throne descending for judgment, the Son of 
Man sittmg thereon, and all nations gathered before him. He is 
dividing the' righteous from the wicbed, as the shepherd divideth 
the sheep from- the goats. The wicked are set on the left-hand, 
and the awful sentence is pronounced — "DeparJ: from me, ye ac- 
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels !" 
But the righteous are placed on the right-hand, to hear the jo}-ful 
welcome^" Come, ye blessed of my Father, 'inherit the kingdom 
prepared for you from tiie foundation of the world !" The books 
are opened, and Mercy presents tiie packets that were left- on the 
other side of Jordan. They are all opened, and the books are 
read wherein all their acts of benevolence and- virtue are recorded. 
Justice examines the several packets, and answers — "AH right. 
Kere they are. Thus it is written — ' I was hungry, and ye grave 
me meat ; I w^s thirsty, and ye gave me drink ; I was a stranger, 
and ye took rae in ; I was naked, and ye clothed me ; I was sick, 
and ye visited me ; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.' " 
The' righteous look upon each other with wonder, and answer — 
" Those packets must belong to others. We knew notiiing of all 
that. "We recollect the wormwood and the gall. We recollect 
the strait gate, the narrow way, and the Slough of Despond. 
We recollect the. heavy burden that pressed so hard upon us, and 
how it fell from our shoulders at the sight of the cross. We recol- 
lect the time when the eyes' of our minds were .opened, to behold 
the evil of sin, the depravity of our hearts, and the excellency of 
our Redeemer. We recollect the time when our stubborn wills 
were subdued in the day of his power, so that we were enabled 
both to will and to do of his good pleasure. We recollect the 
time when we obtained hope in the merit of Christ, and felt the 
efficacy of his blood apphed to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And 
we shall never forget the time when we first experienced the love 
of God shed abroad in our hearts. 0, how sweetly and power- 
fully it constrained us to love him, his cause, and his ordinances ! 
How we panted after communion and fellowship with him, as the 
hart panteth after the water- brooks ! All this, and a thousand 
other things, are as fresh in our memory as evei*. But we recol- 
lect nothing of those bundles of good works. Where was it? 
33 y 2 



258 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 

Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee; or thirsty, and 
gave thee drink; or a stranger, and took thee in; or naked, and 
clothed thee ? We have no more recollection than the dead, of 
ever having visited thee in prison, or ministered to thee in sick- 
ness. Surely, those bundles cannot belong to us." Mercy replies 
— " Yes, verily, they belong to you ; for your names are upon 
them ; and besides, they have not been out of my hands since you 
left them on the stormy banks of Jordan." And the King answers 
— ^^" Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done.it unto one 
of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." 

If the righteous do not know their own good works ; if they do 
not recognise, in the sheaves which they reap at the resurrection, 
the seed which they have sown, in tears on earth, they certainly 
cannot make these things the foundation of their hopes of heaten. 
Christ crucified is their sole dependence for acceptance with God, 
in time and in eternity. Christ crucified is the great object of 
their faith, and the centre of their aflfections ; and while their love 
to him prompts them to live soberly, and righteously, and godly, in 
this present evil \vorld, they cordially exclaim — ^' Not unto-us, not 
unto uSj^but to thy naYnCjt) Lord, give glory !'? Amen. 



SERMON XX. . 

THE SHIELD OF FAITH. 



" Move all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall he able to quench all 
the fiery darts of the wicked.^^ — Eph. vi. 16. 

. The Christian is engaged in a warfare, " not against flesh and 
blood, but against principalities. and powers, against the rulers of the 
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness" — or wicked 
spirits — " in high places ;" who go about like roaring lions, seek- 
ing whom they may devour ; assailing the servants of Christ even 
on their high places — their Pizgahs, their Tabors, their Olivets ; 
swarming up from the sea of corruption within and around us, like 
the frogs in Egypt, and entering into our very be^-chambers and 
closets of devotion. 

These spiritual adversaries must be opposed with spiritual armor ; 
and the apostle has here given us a complete set of weapons for 
fighting, and a complete panoply for defence. The Roman armor 
consisted of several parts, all of which St. Paul makes use of figu- 
ratively, to represent the several Christian graces by which we 
resist our subtle, deceitful, and invisible enemies. As the articles 
to which he alludes constituted a complete coat of arms, and the 
soldier was not prepared for the field without the whole ; so the 
Christian graces which they represent are all of them important, 
" that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto 
every good work." Some of these heavenly quahties may appear 
brighter at particular times in one Christian than in another ; but 
the whole list is indispensable to every spiritual warrior. Abraham 

may excel in faith, Moses in meekness, Job in patience, Daniel in 

259 



260^ THE SHIELD OF FAITH. 

courage, Peter in zeal, Paul in humility, and John in love ; but 
each must have the entire armor, though different occasions may 
require the use of different articles in the catalogue. That you may 
be able to stand in the evil day, you must have the shoes of peace, 
to preserve your feet; the girdle of truth, to strengthen your loins; 
the helmet of hope, to defend your heads ; the breastplate of right- 
eousness, to cover your hearts ; the sword of the Spirit, to cut your 
way through the columns of the foe ; "And above all, taking the 
shield of faith,* wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery 
darts of the wicked." 

It is only to this article last mentioned, that we would now call 
your attention ; in the consideration of which, let us notice, first^ 
The nature of faith; and secondly^ Its importance ahd utility as a 
shield. 

I. There are many passages in the word of God whicl^.show the 
excellency of faith ; but there is only one passage which contains 
^n exact definition of faith.; and that you will find in the first verse 
of the eleventh chapter of PauJ's epistle to the Hebrews: — "Now 
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things 
not seen" — or, as it may be read — the confidence of things hoped 
for, the conviction of things not seen. I am surprised that divines 
have taken so little notice of this passage, in treating of the nature 
of faith. Generally, they wander in the wilderness without a guide ; 
they put out to sea without compass, chart, or helm. Some of 
them make faith every thing, and others make it almost nothing. 
According to the apostle's definition, it consists of these' two 
things : — a conviction of the truth of the gospel testimony relative 
to things invisible, and a confidence in the character and word of 
the invisible Testifier. This is a common-sense definition. Here 
is no mystification or obscurity. In this way the term faith -is 
understood by all men. In the ordinary transactions of business, 
we seldom mistake each other on this subject ; why- should we in 
the great concern of salvation pending between us and God ? 

Here is a man who has a note for an amount sufficient to support 
him comfortably, were he to live a thousand. years. Still he appears 
very unhappy — full of doubts and fears about his future subsistence. 
Ask him — "Friend, what think you of that note? is it genuine?" 
" yes," he replies, " I am perfectly satisfied that it is genuine." 
" What is the reason, then, that you are not more cheerful and 



THE SHIELD OF FAITH. 261 

happy?" "Alas, I have no confidence in the bank." The man 
is without faith. True, he believes — he believes that the note is 
not a counterfeit — he is well satisfied" of its genuineness ; but such 
a belief is not sufficient, while he is suspicious of the bank — pro- 
duces no change in his feelings or his conduct. But if, in addition 
to his conviction of the genuineness of the note, he could be satis- 
fied of the goodness of the bank, then you should find him quite 
another man. These two things united constitute faith : — Believ- 
ing the truth of the gospel respecting things unseen; and trusting 
in the power and faithfulness of God, through our Lord Jesus 
Christ, to fulfil his promises. This is the faith that justifieth the 
ungodly ; this is the faith that overcbmeth the world. 

Now every one of you' believes the truth of the gospel ; but the 
promises of the gospel, which are worthy of all acceptation, some' 
of you have not accepted — are no more influenced by them- than 
if they did not belong to you. The gospel contains a pearl of 
great price- — " an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that 
fadeth not away ;" but your confidence in the promise is feeble 
and inefficient — does not lead you to prayer — does not influence 
your conduct, so as to bring you in possession of this heavenly 
treasure. You have no faith. You have one of the elements of 
faith, but not the- other. . You have the belief, but not the confi- 
dence — that part of faith which belongs to the intellect, but not 
that which belongs to the heart. Therefore you are still poor, and 
naked*, and miserable. 

The Holy Scriptures record many admirable instances of true 
faith ; in which confidence in the character, the providence, and 
the promises of God, rises into the most perfect assurance. Behold 
those women on the bank of the Nile. They are making a basket 
of bulrushes, and plastering it with bitumen. Placing the infant 
Moses therein, they commit the frail ark to the floods. Jochebed, 
why dost thou not fear that the child will be drowned ? " I 
believe the promises of God, I believe that he will do good unto 
his people. I trust in him for the salvation of Israel." ' 

See that old' man on mount Moriah. He has built a rude altar, 
and laid fire and wood thereon. He has bound his own son — his 
only son — his well-beloved Isaacy and is about to offer him as a 
sacrifice. Abraham, stay thy hand. Wilt thou slay thy only son.-* 
Then what will become of the promise ? " My mind is easy. I 



262 THE SHIELD OF FAITH. 

will obey God. I believe he is able to raise Isaac from the dead. 
I feel assured that he will return home with me alive, and that 
from him will spring the Messiah." So Abraham determined to 
offer Isaac upon the altar, for he confided in the promise — "In 
Isaac shall thy seed be called." 

We have another instance in the Centurion whose servant was 
healed by our Lord. He had perfect confidence in the word of 
Christ, even though Christ had given him no promise. " Only say 
in a word," said he, " and my servant shall be healed. Thy word 
created the world; thy word has quickened the dead ; and thy 
word can accomplish a cure without a journey to my house." 
This is an instance of remarkable faith ; and our Lord testified — 
" I have not found so great faith,-no, not in Israel." 

Whatever the object of faith, it is always the same, in its nature, 
though not always the same in degree. Christ said to his disciples 
— " ye of little faith!" and the apostle saith of Abraham — " He 
was strong in faith, giving glory to God." Faith is represented in 
the Scriptures by a variety of expressions, such as — believing the 
testimony of God — relying or staying upon the Lord — waiting upon 
him — trusting in him — looking unto him — coming to Christ — put- 
ting on the Lord Jesus — committing the keeping of the soul to him, 
as unto a faithful Creator. These different expressions denote the 
several modifications of faith, and its several degrees of intensity ; 
but they all fall under the apostolical definition noticed above. 

The language of the law was — " Do this and live." The lan- 
guage of the gospel is—" Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
thou shalt be saved." Faith in Christ is the prescribed and only 
condition of acceptance with God. Christ is the way, and the 
truth, and the life ; no man cometh unto the Father but by him. 
Faith is the eye with which we behold his mercy ; faith is the hand 
by which we receive his blessings ; faith is the golden chain which 
binds us to him for ever. The necessity of faith in the merit and 
righteousness of our Divine Mediator, as the condition of salva- 
tion, is a truth which lies scattered over the surface of inspired 
Scripture. God has always owned and blessed its proclamation in 
the conversion of souls. It was the article of Luther's emancipa- 
tion from legal, bondage. It was tlie master-key which unlocked 
the iron gates -of Antichrist, and .poured the true light over all 
Europe ; so .that neither pope nor council, nor both togethfer, coAild 



THE SHIELD OF FAITH. 263 

hide it again under a -bushel. And in the church of England, even 
in its present weak and languid state, whenever one of its minis- 
ters preaches clearly and faithfully this blessed doctrine, souls are 
given him as'the seals of his ministry. 

There is no end to the praises of faith. Faith is the glass that 
draws fire from the Sun of Righteousness. Faith is the wedding 
ring that joins the sinner to Christ in an everlasting covenant. 
Faith is the living principle of all holy obedience, working by 
love, and purifying the heart. If God command a man to leave 
his country and his kindred, and go into a strange land — to offer 
his beloved son as a sacrifice upon the altar— to build an ark on 
dry ground — to go to the fiery furnace, or the lions' den — to face 
his exasperated foes at Jerusalem, or hide from them in the caves 
of the mountains — it is faith that prompts him to the painful duty, 
and sustains him therein, in spite of improbabilities ; and amidst 
difficulties, dangers, and deaths. 

II. This brings us to notice the importance and utility of faith 
as a shield. ^' And above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith 
ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." 

Faith is in some respects the first of all the Christian graces. It 
is the beginning of spiritual life in the soul- — the originating and 
sustaining principle of all evangelical holiness. Having faith, we 
have nothing to do but to add to it all the rest of our lives. "Add 
to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge 
temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godli- 
ness, and to godjiriess brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness 
charity." 

Love is in some respects superior to faith, and shall live and 
rejoice before the throne when faith shall have finished its work ; 
but faith is an impenetrable shield, such as love cannot furnish, on 
the field of battle. The shield was a broad piece of defensive 
armor, worn ordinarily on the left arm ; and which, being movable, 
might be used to defend any part of the body. According to 
Homer, the shields of some of the warriors at the siege of Troy 
were made of sevenfold thick bull-hides, covered with brass. 

The value of " the shield of faith" is seen in the case of David. 
Look down there in the valley. There is Gohath of Gath, the 
chief of the giants, blaspheming, and defying the armies of the 
living God. His spear is as a weaver's beam, and his armor. 



264 ' THE SHIELD OF FAITH. 

bearer carries before him an enormous shield. And there is a fine- 
looking young man going down to meet him, without any visible 
weapons^ except his shepherd's sling, and five smooth stones firom 
the brook. David! hast thou no fear? Rash youth! is thy un- 
practised hand able to cope with the mailed champion of Philistia? 
" I will go and meet him in the name of my God, for I know that 
'the Lord will delivier him into my hand. God will avenge his 
people, and vindicate his own honor against the insults of his ene- 
mies. He who defended me against the lion and the bear will save 
me from the hand of the blasphemer, and glorify liimself this day 
before the thousands of Israel." He moves on, invincibly shielded 
by his faith, and the next moment Goliath is slain with his own 
sword. , • . " . . 

Let us look again at the case of Abraham, God said unto him 
— " Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, wh9m thou lovest, 
and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer ,him there for a 
burnt offering, upon .one of the mountains that I will tell thee of." 
Now the enemy assails him, in the persuasive language of natural 
affection, and carnal reasoning ; and every word is like a flaming 
arrow in the pakiarch's heart :-^" Abraham ! if thou obey this com- 
mand, thou wilt disobey thereby many other commands. God hath 
said — ' Thou shalt not kill ;' and wilt thou shed the blood of thy own 
child ? Canst thou so trample, upon the law of God, and all the 
tender instincts of human nature ? How^ will thy servants regard 
thee — how will the world look upon thee, after so horrible a deed? 
What will they think of thy God, when they hear that he has re- 
quired at thy hand the immolation of thy only son? Will it not 
bring everlasting dishonor upon his name ? And what will become 
of the Divine promise upon which thy faith is built — that from 
Isaac's loins shall spring the Messiah, the hope of the world? 
Besides, thou wilt certainly break poor old Sarah's heart ; she wilf 
never be able to survive the loss, in so dreadful a manner, of her 
darling boy. If thou hast any feelings of humanity in thy heart, 
any fear of God before thine . eyes, any regard for the glory of his 
name among men, refrain from. that deed of blood!" 

Such were the " fiery darts" which "the wicked one" hurled 
at the good man's heart, but they fell harmless upon his " shield 
of faith." *'He staggered not at .the. promise through unbelief." 
" He conferred not with flesh and blood." He rose up early in 



THE SHIELD OF FAITH. 265 

the morning, took Isaac and the servants, and set out for the ap- 
pointed place of sacrifice. He travelled three days toward Moriah, 
\vith a settled purpose to cut Isaac's body in pieces, and shed the 
blood of his heart upon the altar, and burn it to ashes in the con- 
suming flames. He loved his son as his own soul, but the com- 
mand of God was dearer to his heart. " And Abraham said unto 
his young men — Abide- ye here with the ass, and I and the* lad 
will go yonder, and worship, and come again to you;" for he 
firmly believed that God w'ould raise his son from the ashes of the 
altar, and that they would return together. I see them ascending 
the hill — O, what an ascent w^as that ! Never was there a walk so 
sorrowful, till the great Antitype of Isaac ascended the sam:e moun- 
tain to " make his soul a sacrifice for sin." The altar is built, the 
fire and the wood are placed thereon ;^ and for w^ords to describe 
the feelings of both father and son, W'hen Abraham laid hold on 
Isaac, and took the knife to plunge it into his heart! There is a 
pause. The patriarch's arm is stretched aloft, .with the instrument 
of death. God of mercy! iff there no help for a father.'' 'Earth 
cannot speak; but there comes a voice from heaven; and 0, wqth 
whafmelody it rings through Abraham's heart ! — " Abraham ! i\bra- 
ham ! lay not thine hand upon the lad ; for now^ I know that thou 
fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, 
from, me." 

There w^as the triumph of faith. '^ By faith Abraharii, w^hen he 
was tried, offered up Isaac ; and he that had received the pro- 
mises offered up his only begotten son, of w^hom it was said — In 
Isaac shall thy seed be calle'd ; accounting that God w^as able to 
raise him up even from the dead, from whence also he received him 
in a figure." The patriarch's faith quenched " all the fiery darts 
of the wicked one," which were cast at him in this dreadful trial. 

The arrows of the orientals were often poisoned at one end, and 
ignited at the other. It is"to this circumstance the apostle alludes 
in the phrase — " the fiery darts of the wricked," or the wicked one. 
Satan has his quiver full of impoisoned and flaming arrows, from 
which the servants of Christ w^ould be much endangered without 
*' the shield of faith." He shot one of them aft Eve in Paradise, 
and set the whole world on fire, "and it is set on fire of helj." 
He shot an arrow of lust at David, and an arrow^ of fear at Peter; 
and both of them were dreadfully wounded in the back. He shot 
34 . Z • 



266 



THE SHIELD OF FAITH. 



an arrow of covetousness at Judas, and another at Ananias and 
Sapphira; and having nq "shield of faith," they were smitten, 
and dropped down into hell. 

The devil is a fierce and malicious enemy, " going about as a 
roaring lion, .seeking whom he may devour." Fain would he 
destroy all the holy from the earth. His " fiery darts" inflame the 
heart with the love of sin, the fear of man, the torments of remorse, 
and the apprehensions of judgment and fiery indignation. But 
when the heart is shielded by the faith of the gospel — when we 
clearly understand the truth as it is in Jesus, cordially assent to it, 
appropriate it experimentally, and surrender ourselves to its sancti- 
fying influence — they have no power to injure, and the Christian is 
more than conqueror. 

" Cast not away, therefore, the beginning of your confidence, 
which hath great recompense of reward." Grasp firmly the shield. 
Whatever the aspect of the fight, hold it fast till the end. You 
will need it through all the campaign. You will need it especially 
in your contest with "the last enemy, which is death." "Be 
steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." 
So shall you be able to testify with Paul, when he anticipated the 
termination of the warfare — " I have fought a good fight ; I have 
finished my course ; I have kept the faith ; and henceforth there is 
laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord — the 
righteous judge— shall give unto me in that day.'? 



SERMON XXI. 

THE PARACLETE, 



" And I will pray the Father^ and he shall give you another Comfo^^ter,, that h& 
may abide with you for ever ,• even the' Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot 
receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him ; but ye know him, for he 
dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.^^ — John xiv. 16, 17. 

The Bible is a most wonderful book. It game to us from hea- 
ven, and is stamped with the Spirit and the character of hearen. 
It assails our favorite maxims and customs, and declares that he 
who will be the friend of this world is the enemy of God. It will 
consent to no compromise with sin. It will not in the least accom- 
modate itself to the carnal inclinations of the human heart. What 
is written is written, and not one jot or tittle can be altered till 
heaven and earth shall pass away. It is the sword of God, by 
which he conquers the nations — the instrument of his grace, by 
which he renovates the world. Like the ark in the land of the 
Philistines, which was mightier than all their lords, and Dagon 
their god, it is more than a match for the cunning and prowess of 
the Prince of Darkness and his hosts. He who disobeys it kindles 
a volcano ; he who obeys opens to himself a fountain of living 
waters. And the secret of all its wonderful qualities and achieve- 
nrents is found in its Divine inspiration, and the power of the Holy 
Ghost which accompanies its truths. It is "the sword of the 
Spirit," and the Spirit that brought it into the world continues in 
the world to wield it, and render it quick and powerful. 

These remarks introduce to our consideration the mission and 
office of the Holy Ghost, of which our Saviour speaks m the lan- 
guage of the text. And, 

267 



268 THE- PARACLETE. 

I. We remark, that .the Holy Ghost is evidently not a Divine 
attribute merely, but a Divine person. 

His personality is proved by the terms applied to him in the 
text — the *' Comforter," and " the Spirit of Truth;" and by many 
other passages where he is spoken of in similar language — language 
wholly incompatible with the idea of his being a mere "attribute, 
and not a person. 

The doctrine of his Divinity is sustained by so many texts that 
their mere quotation would be an irrefutable argument in its favor. 
David says — " The Spirit- of the Lord spake by me, and his word 
was in my tongue ; the. God of Israel said," &c. Here the Holy 
Ghost is called "the Spirit of the Lord," and "the God .of 
Israel." When Ananias " lied to the Holy Ghost," it is said he 
^^ lied to God." The ordinance of Baptism is ordered to be admin- 
istered " in the name of the Holy Ghost," as well as " the name of 
the Father and the Son ;^' and his "fellowship" is equally invoked 
with the love of the former, and the grace of the latter, in the apos- 
tolical benediction. Besides, every attribute that belongs to the 
Deity belongs to him. He is omnipresent, omniscient, and eternal. 
He is the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of grace, and the Spirit of life. 
His works also are the works of God. He creates and quickens, 
which is the prerogative of God alone. He -renovates the soul. 
He raised the body of Jesus, and will raise the bodies of all men 
in the last day. " Finally : Blasphemy against the Son may be for- 
given ; but " blasphemy against the Holy Ghost hath never forgive- 
ness, neither in this world nor in that which is to come." If, 
then, the Father is God, and if the Son is God, so also is the Holy 
Spirit. • ' ' ^ 

II. The Holy Ghost is the messenger and representative of Jesus 
Christ in the Church. 

Two promises, like heavenly merchant- vessels, brought salva- 
tion to our world. The first was given in Eden, and fulfilled on 
Calvary. The Son of God descended from heaven, suffered in our 
stead the curse of the law, spoiled the powers of death and hell, 
and returned to his Father, leaving another promise, shortly to be 
fulfilled upon his' people. With what supernatural power and 
unction the Holy Spirit manifested himself on the day of Pentecosj; ! 
Divine Comforter ! what treasure bringest thou in thy vessel of 
grace ? " The things of Christ ; and I will unload them to-day in. 



THE PARACLETE. 269 

the region -of Calvaiy. I have come to fulfil the promise, to en- 
dow the disciples with power from on high, and finish the work 
which the Son of God has begun." See those tongues of flame 
sitting upon the fishermen of Galilee ; while strangers from many- 
different countries hear from them, each in his own language, "the 
wonderful works of God." Only think of three thousand con- 
versions in a day^ — under a single sermon. Three thousand hearts 
were wounded by the arrows of Divine love, through the strongest 
breastplate ever made in hell. This, was the work of the Holy 
Spirit, taking of the things of Christ and showing them to the 
disciples. It was Christ himself, manifesting himself through his 
agent. The first promise brought the IMessiah into the world in 
the flesh ; the second, in the Spirit — the first, to be crucified ; the 
second, to crucify the sins of his people — the first, to empty^ him- 
self; the second, to fill the believer with heavenly gifts and 
graces — the first, to sanctify himself as a sin-offering upon the 
altar ; the second, to give repentance and pardon as a Prince and 
a Saviour. ' • 

The Holy Spirit is still on earth, prosecuting his gracious work, 
and communicating his he'avenly gifts. He strives with sinners, 
and quickens believers into spiritual life. He dwells in the saints, 
leads them into all truth, and bears witness with their spirits that 
they are the Children of God. He illuminates their understand- 
ing, subdues their will, purifies their thoughts, and plants %vithin 
them all holy principles and affections. And this he does, not by 
an audible voice from heaven, but through the instrumentality of 
the word, and by secret impressions upon the soul. " The wind 
bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but 
canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth ; so is every 
one that is born of the Spirit." The operations of the Holy Ghost 
are seen only in their effects. It is a drop of water becoming a 
fountain •" that springeth up unto everlasting life." It is a spark 
of fire, kindling a conflagration, which all the rivers of Belial can- 
not quench.. 

in. The Holy Ghost is the -Paraclete ; that is, the Counselor 
and Consoler. In our text, he is called the " Comforter." "And 
I will pray the*Father, and he shall give you another Comforter," 
-^according to the original, one to plead your cause. The word 
is the same as that used to designate the Roman ambassadors, who 

z2 



370 THE PARACLETE. 

were sent to other countries, as representatives of the Roman power, 
to persuade enemies to submit, or offer terms of peace. 

A certain author observes, that the office of the Comforter is to 
reconcile enemies, and invigorate friends — to console the dejected, 
strengthen the enfeebled, and support the people of God in all the 
conflicts and trials of life. It is by his grace that the believer's 
youth is renewed as the eagle's, and all his languishing virtues 
are revived, so that he can " run and not weary — walk and not 
faint." 

Another part of his ojffice iii the Church is intercession. As he 
pleads with sinners on behalf of Christ in the gospel, so he pleads 
for believers in the court of heaven ; not personally, like our blessed 
Lord, but by inspiring the spirit of- supplication in their hearts. 
" Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we -know not 
what we should pray for as we ought ; but the Spirit itself maketh 
intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered ; and 
he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, 
because he maketh intercession for the saints according totbe will 
of God." 

When other nations had offended the Romans, it was common 
for them, fearing the revenge of that mighty empire, to send/mes- 
sengers to Rome, to plead their cause, and treat for peace. " The 
Spirit of Truth," having brought sinners to repentance by pleading 
with them for Christ in the gospel, pours down upon them the 
spirit of grace and supplication, so that they cry out for mercy, and 
this is virtually the Spirit of God crying out within them. What 
is the meaning of all that prayer and agony in the congregation ? 
The Spirit of God is there. His hammer has broken the rock — 
his fire has melted the iron. No other power could conquer those 
proud rebelHous hearts, and turn the blasphemer into a man of 
prayer. Listen I "If thou shouldst mark iniquity, Lord, who 
could stand?" Hark again.! "But thou art a God ready to par- 
don ; there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." 
It is the voica of the Spirit, pleading in the awakened soul. See 
that publican in the temple, smiting upon his breast, and saying, — 
" God be merciful to me a sinner !" The Holy Ghost has both 
convinced him of sin, and inspired him to pray for mercy. No 
other agency can thus quicken the " dead in trespasses and sins," 
and turn the hearts of the children of men to the Lord. The gos- 



THE PARlCLETE; 271 

pel, in the hand of the Holy Spirit, " is the power of God unto 
salvation." The Holy Spirit can convince the world — can rend 
the veil from the mind, and dissolve the ice around the heart. He 
applies the truth to the conscience, and makes the guilty read their 
own sentence of condemnation by the light of the fires of Sinai ; 
and then he shows them the atoning blood, and prompts them to 
pray for pardon. He first convinces them that they are sinking in 
" the horrible pit of miry clay ;" and then lets down to them the 
rope of the promise, bids them take hold by faith, draws them out, 
and sets their feet upon a rock, and puts into their mouth the new 
song of salvation — " Lord, I will praise thee ; for though thou 
wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou com- 
fortest me !" 

Q that the " Spirit of grace and supplication" may ever rest 
ufon us! May we plead for ourselves with God, as Jacob, when 
he wrestled for the blessing ; or j^artimeus, when he besought the 
Saviour to restore his sight ! May we plead for sinners, as Abra- 
ham for Sodom, as Moses for Israel, as Daniel for the captives, as 
the Centurion for his servant, and as the woman of Canaan /or her 
• daughter ! . . 

IV. The Holy Ghost is called " another comforter;" which sug- 
gests a difference between his- office in the church, and that of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. ^ • 

Christ, by his personal ministry on earth, was the Comforter of 
his little flock ; and by his death, upon the cross, the procurer of 
all the comforts of them that believe ; and when he ascended, 
" another comforter" came down to take his place in the church, 
and communicate the blessings which he bought with his blood. 
" If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus 
Christ the righteous;" who hath *^ entered into heaven itself, there 
to appear in the presence of God for us;" while his agent and 
representative on earth dwells with his followers, leads them into 
all truth, and carries o-n within them the process of sanctification. 
Both are . comforters — both are advocates — Christ above, and the 
Holy Spirit below — Christ by his personal presence before :the 
Father, and the Holy Spirit by his gracious influence in the believ- 
er's heart. 

Christ is making intercession on our behalf without us, and inde- 
pendently of us. But the Holy Spirit is making intercession through 



272 THE PARACLETE. 

\is — pleading in our prayers " with groanings that cannot be ut- 
tered." He never-acts without us. True repentance and faith are 
his gifts, but they are also our exercises. He draws us to Christ, 
but we must yield to his attractions. He inspires us to pray, but 
the act of prayer is our own. He " worketh in us to will and to 
do of his good pleasure," but he does not will and do for us. He 
gives us the life and the power, but he requires us to use them. 
He leads us into all truth, but not unless we follow him. He sheds 
abroad the love of God in our hearts, but not unless we open our 
hearts to receive the communication. He destroys the old man 
W'ithin us, and creates the new ; but not unless we cordially resign 
ourselves to his influence, and earnestly co-operate with his grace. 

Christ in heaven pleads for the reconciliation of sinners to God. 
The Holy Spirit on earth awakens sinners, coavinces them of sin, 
draws -them to the throne of grace, and breathes into them intense 
prayers for pardon. He renews them, and purifies them, and 
makes them temples of his grace, and heirs of glory. He opens 
the blind eyes, and unstops the deaf ears, and makes the lame man 
leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb to sing. All the true 
conversions ever effected on earth are the results of his gracious 
power. 

Christ has bound up all the covenants, and carried them with 
him into heaven, and laid them down before the throne, having 
obtained eternal redemption for us ; and the Holy Spirit has taken 
of the things of God, and brought them down to men. Christ 
received gifts for us, and the Holy Spirit confers them upon us. 
Christ receives from the Father ; the Spirit receives from Christ ; 
and we receive from the Spirit.- Christ bought the church with 
his own blood, and the spipit -prepares and presents her to him as 
his bride-. Christ opened a way into' the Holy of Holies, and the 
.Spirit aids us to offer our sacrifices before the mercy^seat. Christ 
is the" appointed medium of our intercourse w^ith God, and the 
Spirit helps us to avail ourselves of that unspeakable privilege. 
Christ in heaven is the life of our redemption, and the Spirit upon 
earth is the life of the gospel and the ordinances. " I will draw 
all men unto myself" — is the motto of Christ; " I wall draw all 
men unto Christ" — is the motto of the Spirit. 

V. The Holy Ghost has taken up his permanent residence among 



THE PARACLETE. 273 

the people "of God. " That he may abide with you for ever — for 
he dwelleth with you and shall be in you." 

Hi's miraculous gifts were temporary ; being no longer necessary, 
when ..the truth w^as established in the conviction of mankind. 
But his renovating and sanctifying grace is as much needed now 
as ever, and therefore has never been taken from the world. The 
primitive -Christians, and Christians of the present day, in this 
respect, share the same privilege. It is a " common salvation ;" 
and the streams will never cease to flow, while there remain 
" vessels of mercy" to be filled. 

• The church in every age has suffered great loss in the death of 
her most able and efficient ministers. The strongest pillars in the 
house have fallen; the tallest trees in the forest have been cut 
dx>wn. " The fathers, where are they ? and the prophets, do they 
live for ever ?" Where are the apostles and evangelists ? What 
has become of the great reformers of every age ? They have gone 
the way whence they shall not return. They have ascended in 
their chariots of fire. Though safe in heaven, they are lost to 
.earth. But the Holy Spirit is a " Comforter" that shall " abide • 
with you for ever." The hands have all departed, one after , 
another, and new crews have been shipped from age to age ; but 
the Captain is* still alive .; and has remained on board, ever since 
he first tc^k the register and the compass, on the day of Pente- 
cost- and will never leave the ship, till he brings her in from her 
last voyage, and lays her up for ever ! 

Brethren in the ministry !• this is our consolation. The Spirit 
that blessed the labors of David Jones, Daniel Rowlands, and 
Howell Harris, still " dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." 
O let us seek his aid in our holy work, and pray for his outpour- 
ing upon our congregations ! 

Delegates of the different churches ! be of good courage ! You 
may not have seen as many additions lately as in former times; 
but the Holy Spirit has not yet departed from the faithful. You 
have heard of wonderful revivals in America, as well as in some 
parts of Wales. The " Comforter" is yet at work. The illumi- 
nator of souls is yet at hand. The office is yet open. The blessing 
is yet offered. O, let us all pray for the Holy Spirit ! let us look 
for his cominsf ! let us wait for his salvation ! 



SERMON XXII. 

THE FATHER AND SON GLORIFIED. 



'^^ Howheit, when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all 
truth ; for he shall not speak of himself ; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall 
he speak,- and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me : for he 
shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. Ml things that the Sather 
hath are mine ,• therefore, said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it 
hnio you. — John xvi. 13 — 15. 

The wonderful Providence which brought the Children of Israel 
out of the house of bondage was a chain of many links, not one of 
which could be omitted without destroying the beauty, and defeat- 
ing the end of the Divine economy. The family of Jacob come to 
Egypt in the time of famine — they multiply — they are oppressed — 
their cries reach to heaven — God manifests himself in the burning 
bush — Moses is sent to Egypt — miracles are wrought by his hand — 
Pharaoh's heart is hardened— ^the first-born are slain — the passover 
is eaten — the people depart, led by the pillar of God — the sea is 
divided — and with many signs and wonders, the thousands of 
Israel are conducted through the wilderness to the Promised Land. 
Had one of these links been wanting, the chain of dehverance 
had been defective. 

So, in the salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ, all the conditions 
and preparatives were essential to the completeness and glory of 
the scheme. The Son of God must consent to undertake our cause, 
and become our substitute — the promise must be given to Adam, 
and frequently repeated to the patriarchs — bloody sacrifices must 
be instituted to typify the vicarious sufferings of Messiah — a long 
line of prophets must foretell his advent, and the glory of his king- 

a74 



. THE FATHER AND SON GLORIFIED. 275 

dom — he must be born in Bethlehem, cracified on Calvary, and 
buried in Joseph's new tomb — must rise from the dead, ascend to 
the right hand of the Father, and send down the Holy Spirit to 
guide and sanctify his church. Without all these circumstances, 
the economy of redemption would have been incomplete and in- 
efficient. 

The last link in the chain is the mission and work of the Holy 
Sjgirit. This is quite as important as any of the rest. Our Sa- 
viour^s heart seems to have been much set upon it during all his 
ministry, and ' especially during the last few days before his cruci- 
fixion. He spoke of it frequently to his disciples, and told them 
that he would not leave them comfortless, but would send them 
"another Comforter," who should abide with them for ever; and 
that his own departure was necessary, to prepare the way for the 
coming of the heavenly Paraclete. In our text, he describes the 
office of the Holy Spirit, and the specific relation which he sustains 
to the .work of salvation : — " Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of Truth, 
is come. He will guide you into all truth ; for he shall not speak of 
himself ; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak ; and 
)>e will show you things to come. He shall glorify me; for he 
shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that 
the Father hath are mine ; therefore said I, that he shall take of 
mine, and shall show it unto you." 

These words teach us two important truths— ;^r5^. That the Son 
is equal with the Father ; and secondly^ That the Father and the 
Son are alike glorified in the economy of salvation. 

I. The Son claims equality with the Father. "All things that 
the Father hath are mine." 

This sentence is very comprehensive and sublime — an unques- 
tionable affirmation of Messiah's " eternal power and Godhead." 
The same doctrine is taught us in many other recorded sayings of 
Christ, and sustained by all the prophets and apostles ; and when I 
consider this declaration in connection with the general strain of the 
inspired writers on the subject, I seem to hear the Saviour himself 
addressing the world in the following manner : — 

" All things that the Father hath are mine. His names are mine. 
T am Jehovah — the Mighty God, and the Everlasting Father — the 
Lord of. Hosts — the Living God — the True God, and Eternal 
Life. 



'r 



276 THE FATHER AND SON GLORIFIED. 

. '* His works are mine. All things were made by me, and I up- 
hold all things by the word of my power. My Father worketh 
hitherto, and I work ; for as the Father raiseth up the dead, and 
quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.* I am 
the author of universal being, and my hand moves all the machinery 
of providence. 

*^ His honors are mine. I have an indisputable right to the 
homage of all created intelligences. I inhabit the praises of eter- 
nity. Before the foundation of the world, I was the object of 
angelic adoration ; and when I became incarnate as a Saviour, the 
Father published his decree in heaven, saying — ' Let all the angels 
of God worship him !' It is his will, also, that all men should 
honor the Son, even as they honor the Father — in the same manner, 
and the same degree. He that honoreth the Son, honoreth the 
Father ; and he that honoreth not the-Son, honoreth not the Father : 
for I and my Father are one— one in honor — possessing joint in- 
terest and authority. 

" His attrUmtes are raine. Though as man and mediator I am 
inferior to the Father ; yet my nature is no more inferior to his, than 
the nature of the Prince of Wales is inferior to the nature, of' the 
King of England. You see me clothed in humanity ; but in my 
original state, I thought it not robbery to be equal with God. I 
was in the beginning with God, and possessed the same eternity of 
being. Like him, I am almighty, omniscient, and immutable; 
infinite in holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. All these attri- 
butes, with every other possible perfection, belong to me in the 
same sense as they belong to the Father. They are absolute and 
independent, underived and unoriginated — the essential qualities of 
my nature, 

" His riches of grace are mine. I am the mediator of the new 
covenant — the channel of my Father's mercies to mankind. I have 
the keys of the house of David, and the seal of the kingdom of 
heaven. I have come from the bosom of the Father, freighted 
with the precious treasures of his good will to men. I have sailed 
over the sea of tribulation and death, to bring you the wealth of the 
other world. I am the Father's messenger, publishing peace on 
earth — ra peace which I have purchased with my own blood upon 
the cross. It hath pleased the Father that in me all fulness should 



THE FATHER AND SON GLORIFIED. 277 

dwell — all fulness of wisdom and grace — whatever is necessary 
for the justification, sanctification, and redemption of them that be- 
lieve. My" Father and I a^e one in the work of salvation, as in the 
work of creation. We have the same will, and the same intention 
of mercy toward the children of the great captivity. 

" The objects of his love are mine. He hath given them to me 
in an everlasting covenant. He hath given me the heathen for an 
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for a possession. 
They were mine by the original right of creation ; but now they 
are doubly mine, by the superadded claim of redemption. My 
Father, before the world was, gave me a charter of all the souls I 
would redeem. I have fulfilled the condition. I have poured 
out my soul unto death, and sealed the covenant with the blood of 
my cross. Therefore all believers are mine. I have bought them 
with a price. I have redeemed them from the bondage of sin and 
death. * Their names are engraven on my hands and my feet. 
They are written with the soldier's spear upon my heart. And of 
all that the Father hath given me, I will lose nothing. I will draw 
them all to myself; I will raise them up at the last day ; and they 
shall be .with me where I am, that they may behold my glory — the 
glory which I had with the Father before the foundation of the 
world." 

n. The Father and the Son are equally glorified in the economy 
of redemption, and the work of the Holy Spirit. 

1. The Son glorifies the Father. I hear him praying in the 
garden : — " Father, I have glorified thee on the earth ; I have 
finished the work which thou gavest me to do." I hear him again, 
amid the supernatural gloom of Calvary, with a voice that rings 
through the dominions of death and hell, crying — "It is finished !" 

What mighty achievement hast thou finished to-day, blessed 
Jesus? and how have thy unknown agony and shameful death 
glorified the Father ? 

" I have glorified the Father, by raising up those precious things 
which fell in Eden, and were lost in the abyss. 

" I have raised up my Father's law. I found it cast down to 
the earth, and trampled into the dust. I have magnified and made 
it honorable. I have vindicated its authority in the sight of men 
and angels. I have satisfied its demands on behalf of my redeemed, 

2A 



278 THE FATHER AND SON GLORIFIED. 

and iDecome the end of the law for righteousness to all who will 
receive me as their surety. 

" I have raised up my Father's name. I have declared it to my 
brethren. I have manifested it to the men whom he has given-fiae. 
I have given a new revelation of his character to the world. I 
have shown him to sinners, as a just God and a Saviour. I have 
restored his worship in purity and spirituality upon earth. I have 
opened a new and living way to his throne of grace. I have writ- 
ten the record of his mercy with my own blood upon the rocks of 
Calvary. 

"I have raised up my Father's image. I have imprinted it 
afresh upon human nature, from which it was effaced by sin. I 
have displayed its excellence in my own character. I have passed 
through the pollutions of the world, and the territory of death, 
without tarnishing its lustre, or injuring its symmetry. Though my 
visage is marred with grief, and my back plowed with scourges^ 
and my hands and feet nailed to the accursed cross, not one trace 
of my Father's image has been obliterated from my human soul. 
It is as perfect and as spotless now as when I lay in the manger. 
I will carry it unstained with me into heaven. I will give a full 
description of it in my gospel upon earth. I will change my people 
into the same image from glory to glory. I will also renovate and 
transform their vile bodies, and fashion them like unto my own 
glorious body. I will ransom them from the power of the grave ; 
and because I live, they shall live also — the counterpart of my own 
immaculate humanity — mirrors to reflect my Father's glory for 
ever." 

2. The Father glorifies the Son. He prayed in the garden : — 
*' And now. Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the 
glory" which I had with thee before the world was." Was the 
petition granted ? Answer, ye Roman sentinels, who watched his 
sepulchre! Answer, ye men of Galilee, who gazed upon his 
chariot, as he ascended from the Mount of Olives ! 

The glorification of the Son by the Father implies all the honors 
of his mediatorial oflSce — all the crowns which he won by his 
victory over the powers of death and hell. The Father raised 
him from the dead, and received him up into glory, as a testimony 
of his acceptance as the sinner's surety — an expression of perfect 



THE FATHER AND SOX GLORIFIED. 279 

satisfaction with his vicarious sacrifice upon the cross. It was the 
just reward of his work ; it was the fruit of his gracious travail. 
He is " crowned with glory and honor for the sufferings of death." 
"Because he hath poured out his soul unto death," therefore 
*' God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name that is 
above every name." 

What an honor would it be to a man, to receive eight or ten of 
the highest offices in a kingdom ! Infinitely greater is the glory of 
Emmanuel. His name includes all the offices and titles of the' 
kingdom of heaven. The Father hath made him '' both Lord and 
Christ" — that is, given him the supreme prerogatives of govern- 
ment and salvation. '' Him hath God exalted to be a prince and 
a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins." 
He is " head over all things in the church" — Prime Minister of 
the kingdom of heaven — Lord Treasurer, dispensing the bounties 
of Divine grace to mankinds-Lord High- Chancellor of the realm, 
and Keeper of the Great Seal of the living God ; holding in his 
hand the charter of our redemption, and certifying the authenticity 
of the Divine covenant — Lord Chief Justice of heaven and earth, 
having all power and authority to administer the laws of Provi- 
dence throughout the universe — the Chief Prince — the General of 
the army — the Captain of the Lord's host — the Champion who 
conquered Satan, Sin, and Death ; bruising the head of the first, 
destroying the power of the second, and swallowing up the third 
in victory. He hath the keys of hell and of death. He shutteth, 
and no man openeth ; he openeth, and no man shutteth. He bears 
all the honors of his Father's house; and concentrates in himself 
all the glories of Supreme Di\dnity, redeemed humanity, and 
"mediator between God and man." 

3. The Holy Spirit glorifies Father and Son together. He is 
procured for the- world by the blood of the Son, and sent into the 
world by the authority of the Father ; so that both are alike repre- 
sented in his mission, and equally glorified in his ofnce. The gra- 
cious things which the Father gave into the hands of the Son when 
he descended from heaven, the Son gave into the hands of the 
Spirit when he returned to heaven. " All things that the Father 
hath are mine ; and he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto 
you." 



280 THE FATHER AND SON GLORIFIED. 

This is the object of the Spirit's advent, the commuilicatioA 
of the things of Christ to men. What are the things of Christ ? 
His merit, his mercy, his image, his gospel, his promises, all 
the. gifts of his grace, all the treasures of his love, and' all tiie 
immunities of eternal redemption. These the Father hath given 
to the Son, as the great Trustee of the church ; and the Son 
hath given them to the Spirit, as the appointed agent of their 
communication. 

A ship was laden in India, arrived safe in London, unloaded her 
pre'cious cargo, and the goods were soon distributed air over the- 
country, and offered for sale in a thousand stores. The Son of 
God brought immense riches of Divine grace from heaven to earth, 
which are all left to the disposal of the Holy Spirit, and freely prof- 
fered to the perishing wherever the gospel is preached. 

The Holy Spirit came not to construct a new engine of mercy, 
but to propel that already constructed by Christ. Its first revolu- 
tion rent the rocks of Calvary, and shook the rocky hearts of men. 
Its second revolution demolished the throne of death, burst 'his 
prison-doors, and liberated many of his captives. Its third revolu- 
tion carried its builder up into the heaven of heavens, and brought 
down the Holy Spirit to move its machinery for ever. Its next 
revolution, under the impulse of this new Agent, was like " the 
rushing of a mighty wind" among the assembled disciples at Jeru- 
salem, kindled a fire upon the head of every Christian, inspired 
them to speak all the languages of the babbling earth, and killed 
and quickened three thousand souls of the hearers. 

The Holy Spirit is still on earth, glorifying the Father and the 
Son. He. convinces the world of sin. He leads men to Christ, 
"through the rivers of corruption, the mountams of presumption, and 
the terrible bogs of despair, affording them no rest till they come 
to the city of refuge. He continues on the field to bring up the 
rear ; while the Captain of our Salvation, on his white horse, rides 
victorious in the van of battle. He strengthens the soldiers — " faint, 
yet pursuing ;" raises the fallen ; encourages the despondent ; 
feeds them with the bread of life, and the new wine of the king- 
dom ; and leads them on — '' conquering, and to conquer." 

His work will not be finished till the resurrection. Then will 
he quicken our mortal bodies. Then will he light his candle, and 



THE FATHER AND SON (GLORIFIED. 28i 

S]yeep the house till he find every lost piece of silver. Then will 
he descend into the dark caves of death, and gather all the gems 
of redeemed humanity, and weave them into a crown for Em- 
manuel, and place that crown upon Emmanuel's head, amid the 
songs of the adoring seraphim ! " . 

Thus the Holy Spirit glorifies the Father and the Son. Let us 
pray for the outpouring of his grace upon the church. In propor- 
tion to his manifestation in our hearts, will be our " knowledge of 
the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Nor is 
this all ; in proportion to the visitations of the Holy Spirit, will be 
-the purity of our lives, the spirituality of our worship, the ardor of 
our zeal and charity, and the extent of our usefulness to the cause 
of Christ. Would you see a revival of religion ? pray for the out- 
pouring of the Holy Spirit upon you, to sanctify your hearts and 
your lives, that your light may " so shine before men, that others 
may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in 
heaven." 

" When thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the 
mulberry trees, then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then the Lord 
shall go out before thee, to strike the hosts of the Philistines." 
Brethren, this is the time. The mulberry trees are shaking. God 
is going before his people, to prepare their way to victory. The 
hand of Divine Providence is opening a great and effectual door 
for the gospel. The mountains are levelled, the valleys are exalted, 
and a highway is cast up in the wilderness for our God. The arts 
of printing and navigation, the increasing commerce of the world, 
the general prevalence of the spirit of peace, the rapid march of 
literature and science, and the correspondence of eminent and lead- 
ing men in every nation, are so many preparatives for the moral 
conquest of the w^orld. The Captain of our Salvation, on the white 
horse of the gospel, can now ride through Europe and America ; 
and will soon lead forth his army to take possession of Asia and 
Africa. The wings of the mighty angel are unbound, and he is 
flying in the midst of heaven. 

Again : Christians are better informed concerning the moral 

state of the world than formerly. If my neighbor's house were on 

fire, and I knew nothing of it, I could not be blamed for rendering 

him no assistance ; but who could be guiltless in beholding the 

36 2 A 2 



282 THE FATHER AND SON GLORIFIED. 

building in flames, without an effort to rescue its occupants? 
Brethren, you have heard of the perishing heathen. You have 
heard of their dreadful superstitions, their human sacrifices, and 
their abominable rites. You have heard of Juggernaut, and the 
River Ganges, and the murder of infants, and the immolation of 
widows, and the worship of idols and demons. You know some- 
thing of the delusion of Mohammedism, the cruel and degrading 
ignorance of Popery, and how millions around you are perishing 
for lack of knowledge. Do you feel no solicitude for their souls — 
no desire to pluck them as brands from the burning ? 

What can we do? The Scriptures have been translated into 
nearly all the languages of the babbling earth. Missionaries have 
gone into many lands — have met the Indian in his wigwam, the 
African in his DeviPs-bush, and the devotee on his way to Mecca. 
We can furnish more men for the field, and more money to sustain 
them. But these things cannot change and renovate the human 
heart. " Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the 
Lord." This is the grand regenerating agency. He alone can 
convince and save the world. His aid is given in answer to 
prayer; and the Father is more ready to give than we are to 
ask. 

Mr. Ward, one of the Baptist missionaries in India, in a mis- 
sionary discourse at Bristol, said, — " Brethren, we need your 
money, but we need your prayers more." 0, what encourage- 
ment we have to pray for our missionaries! Thus saith the 
Lord : — ^" I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods 
upon the dry ground ; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and 
my blessing upon thine offspring." Let us plead with God for 
the accomplishment of the promise. '' Ye that make mention of 
the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest till he make 
Jerusalem a praise in the whole earth." 

Brethren in the ministry! let us remember that all our success 
depends upon the aid of the Holy Spirit, and let us pray con- 
stantly for his blessing upon the word ! Brethren in the church ! 
forget not the connection between the work of the Holy Spirit 
and the glory of your Best Friend, and earnestly entreat him to 
)ningle his sanctifying unction with the treasures of Divine Truth 
contained in these earthen vessels I " Finally, brethren, pray for 



THE FATHER AND SON GLORIFIED. 283 

US ; that the word of the Lord may have free course and be 
glorified ;" and all the ends of the earth see the salvation of our 
God! 

« Hasten, Lord, the glorious time. 
When, beneath Messiah's swav, 
Every tribe, in every clime. 
Shall the gospel call obey! 



« Then shall wars and tumults cease ; 
Then be banished grief and pain ; 
Righteousness, and joy, and peace, 
Undisturbed, for ever reign !'* 



EXTEACTS. 



EXTRACTS- 



I. THE DEMONIAC OF GADARA. 

Luke viii. 26—39. 

" And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city 
a certain man, which had devils a long time, and ware no clothes, 
neither abode in any house, but in the tombs." 

I imagine that this demoniac was not only an object of pity, but 
he w^as really a terror in the country. So terrific was his appearance, 
so dreadful and hideous his screaros, so formidable, frightful, and 
horrid his wild career, that all the women in that region were so 
much alarmed that none of them dared go to market. 

And what made him still more terrible was the place of his 
abode : It was not in a city, where some attention might be paid to 
order and decorum — (though he would sometimes ramble into the 
city as in this case.) It was not in a town, or village, or any house 
whatever, where assistance might be obtained in case of necessity ; 
but it was among the tombs, and in the wilderness — not far, how- 
ever, from the turnpike road. No one could tell but that he might 
jump at them, like a panther, and scare them to death. The gloomi- 
ness of the place made it more awful and solemn. It was among 
the tombs — where, in the opinion of some, all witches, corpse- 
candles, and hobgoblins abide. 

One day, however, Mary was determined that no such nuisance 
should be suffered in the country' of the Gadarenes. The man must 
be clothed, though he was mad and crazy. And if he should at 
any future time strip himself, tie up his clothes in a bundle, throw 
them into the river, and tell them to go to see Abraham, he must 

^ 287 



288 THE DEMONIAC OF GADARA. 

be tied and taken care of. Well, this was all right — no sooner said 
than done. But, so soon as the fellow was bound in chains and 
fetters, Samson-like, he broke the bands asunder, and could not be 
tamed. 

By this time, the devil became offended with the Gadarenes, and 
in a pout he took the demoniac away, and drove him into the wil- 
derness. He thought the Gadarenes had no business to interfere and 
meddle with his property ; for he had possession of the man. And 
he knew, that " a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." It is 
probable that he wanted to send him home ; for there was no know- 
ing what might happen now-a-days. But there was too much matter 
about him to send him as he was ; therefore, he thought the best 
plan would be to persuade him to commit suicide by cutting his 
throat. But here Satan was at a nonplus — his rope was too short — 
He could not turn executioner himself, as that would not have 
answered the design he has in view, when he wants people to com- 
mit suicide ; for the act would have been his own sin and not the 
man's. The poor demoniac, therefore, must go about to hunt a 
sharp stone, or any thing that he could get. He might have beeain 
search of such an 'article, when he returned from the wilderness into 
the city, whence he came when he met the Son of God. 

<« Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the. man. 
And when he saw Jesus he cried out, and fell down before him, and 
wdth a loud voice said. What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou 
Son of God most high ? I beseech thee torment me not." 

Here is the devil's confession of faith. The devils believe and 
tremble, while men make a mock of sin, and sport on the brink of 
eternal ruin. To many of the human race, Christ appears as a root 
out of dry ground. They see in him neither form nor comeliness, 
and there is no beauty in him that they should desire him. Some 
said he was the carpenter's son, and would not believe in him ; 
others said he Had a devil, and that it^ was through Beelzebub the 
chief of the devils, that he cast out devils ; some cried out. Let him 
be crucified — let him be crucified ; and others said, Let his blood be 
on us and on our children. As the Jews would not have him to 
reign over them ; so many, who call themselves Christians, say that 
he is a mere man ; as such, he has no right to rule over their con- 
sciences, and demand their obedience, adoration, and praise. But 
Diabolus knows better — Jesus is the Son of God most high. 

Many of the children of the devil, whose work they do, differ 



THE DEMONIAC OF GADARA. 289 

very widely from tReir father in their sentiments respecting the person 
of Christ. 

<« Jesus commanded the legion of unclean spirits to come out of 
th^ man.'' They knew that out they must go. But they were like 
Scotchmen — very unwilling to return to their own country. They 
would rather go into hogs' skins than to their own country. And he 
suffered them to go into the herd of swine. Methinks that one of 
the men who fed the hogs, kept a better look out than the rest of 
them, and said, '^ What ail the hogs ? Look sharp there, boys — keep 
them in— make good use of your whips. Why don't you run ? 
Why, I declare, one. of them has gone over the cUff! There goes 
another! Drive 'th«m back." Never wa^, there such a running, and 
whipping,- and hallooing ; but down go the hogs, before they are 
aware of it. One of them ' said, '« They are all gone!" '" No, sure 
not all gone into the,sea!" " Yes, every one of them, the black hog 
and all ! They are all drowned ! — the devil is in them ! What 
shall we do now .''—what can we say to the owners?" " What can 
we say..?" said another. " We must tell the truth — that is all about 
it." We did our best — all tliat was in our power. What could any 
man do more-.'*" 

So they went their way to the city, to tell the masters what had 
happened. «' John, where are you going," exclaimed one of the 
masters. " Sir, did you know the demoniac that was among the 
tombs there.'"' "Demoniac among the tombs! Where did you 

leave the hogs .?" " That madman, sir " " Madman ! — Why do 

you come home without the hogs ."" '' That wild and furious man, 
sir, that mistress was afraid of so much — — " " Why John, I ask you 
a plain and simple question — why don't you answer me ^ Where 
are the hogs .?" " That man who was possessed with the devils, sir^^" 
"Why, sure enough, you are crazy ! — you look, wild ! — tell me your 
story, if you can, let it be what it may." " Jesus Christ, sir, has 
cast out the unclean spirits out of the demoniaq ; they are gone into 
the swine ; and they are all drowned in the sea ; for I saw the tail 
of the last one !" The Gadarenes went out to see what was done, 
and finding that it was even so, they were afraid, and besought 
Jesus to depart from them. 

How awful must be the condition of those men who love the 
things of this world more than Jesus Christ ! 

The man out of whom the unclean spirits were cast, besought 
Jesus that he might be with him. But he told him to rej:urn to his 
37 2 B 



290 THE DEMONIAC OF GADARA. 

own house, and show how great things God had done unto hiin> 
And he w^ent his way and pubUshed throughout the whole * city tif 
Decapolisj how great things Jesus had done unto him.' The act of 
Jesus casting so many devils "but of him, was sufficient ta per- 
suade him that Jesus was God as well as man. -■ 

I imagine I see him going through the city, crying — " O yes !• O 
yes! O yes!- — Please to take notice of me, the demoniac among the 
tombs. I am the mail who was a terror to the citizens of this place 
—that wild man, wha would wTar no" tlothes, and that no man could 
bind. Here am I, now^, in my right mind. Jesus Christ, the friend 
of sinners, had compassion on me. He remembered me when I was 
in my low estate — when there was no eye to pity, and no hand to 
save.^ He cast out the devils and redeemed my soul from destruction." 

Most wonderful must have been the surprise of the people, to hear 
such proclamation. The ladies running to the windows, the shoe*- 
makers throwing their lasts one way and their awls ariother, run- 
ning out to meet him and to converse with him, that' they might 
be positivel:here was no impositiori, and found.it t5 be ^a fact that 
could not be contradicted. " 0, the wonder of all- wonders ! Nevei 
was there such a thing !" — must, I think, be the general conversation. 

And while they are talking and everybody having something to 
say, homeward goes the man. As soon as he comes in sight of the 
house, I imagine Lsee one of the children running in, and crying, 
'^ 0, mother! father is coming — rhe will kill us all!" " Children, 
come all into the house," says the mother. " Let us fasten the doors. 
I think there is no sorrow hke my sorrow !" says the broken-hearted 
woman. "Are all the windows fastened, children?" "Yes, 
mother." " Mary, my dear, come from the window-^— don't be 
standing there." " Why, mother, I can hardly believe it is father ! 
That man is w^ell-dressed." " yes, my dear children, it is your 
own father. I knew him by his walk the moment I saw him." 
Another child stepping to the window, says, " Why, mother, I never 
saw father coming home as he does to-day. He walks on the foot- 
path and turns round the corner of the fence. He used to come 
towards the house as straight as a line, over fences, ditches, and 
hedges ; and Lnever saw him walking as slow as he^does now." 

In a few moments, however, he arrives at the door of the house, 
to the great terror and consternation of all the inmates. He gently 
tries the door, and finds no admittance. He pauses a moment, steps 
towards the window, arid says in a low, firm, and melodious voice — 



THE DEMONIAC OF GADARA. 291 

*<^ My dear wife, if you will let me in, there is no danger. I will 
not hurt you. I bring you glad tidings of great joy." The door 
IS reluctantly opened, as it were between joy and fear. Having 
deliberately seated himself, he says : " I am come to show you what 
great things God has done for me. He lov^ed me with an eternal 
love. He redeemed me from the curse of the law and the threaten- 
ings. of vindictive justice. He saved me from the power and the 
dominion of sin. He cast out the devils out of my heart, and made 
that heart, which was a den of thieves, the temple of the Holy Spirit. 
I cannot tell you how much I love the Saviour. Jesus Christ is the 
.foundation of my-hope, the object of my faitk, and the centre of my 
affections. I can venture my immortal soul upon him. He is my best 
friend. He is altogether lovely — the chief among ten thousand. He 
is my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. There is 
enough in him to make a poor sinner rioh, and a miserable sinner 
happy. His flesh and blood is my food — his righteousness my 
wedding garment — and. his blood is efficacious to cleanse me from 
all my sins. Through him I can obtain eternal life ; for he is the 
brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his per- 
son : in \vhom dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He 
deserves. my highest esteem and ^my warmest gratitude. Unto him 
who loved me with an eternal love, and washed me in his own 
blood, unto him be the glory, dominion, and power, for ever and 
ever! For he has rescued my soul from hell. He plucked me as 
a brand out of the burning. He took me out of the miry clay, and 
out of a horrible pit. "He set my feet upon a rock, and established 
my goings, and put in my mouth a new song of praise and glory to 
him ! Glory to him for ever ! — Glory to God in the highest ! — Glory 
to God for ever and ever! Let the whole earth praise him! — Yea. 
let all the people praise him!" 

It is beyond the power of the strongest imagination to conceive 
the joy and gladness of this family. The joy of seafaring men 
delivered from shipwreck ; the joy of a man delivered froni a burn- 
ing house ; the joy of not being found guilty to a criminal at the bar ; 
the joy of receiving pardon to a condemned malefactor ; the joy of 
freedom to a prisoner of war, is nothing in comparison to the joy of 
him who is dehvered from going down to the pit of eternal destruc 
tion. For it is a joy unspeakable and full of glory. 



II. ENTERING THE PORT. 



** For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the ever* 
lasting kingdom- of our Lord- and Saviour Jesus Christ,''^ — 2 Pet. i, 11. 

This language seems to be 'borrowed from the case of a ship 
bringing her passengers to port on a pleasant afternoon, her sails all 
white and whole, and her flags majestically waving in the breeze ; 
while the relatives of those on board ascend the high places, to see 
their brothers and ■ their sisters returning home in safety from the 
stormy main. How pleasant to a man who is about to emigrate to 
the new world, America, when he meets with some one that has 
been there, and who is well acquainted with the coast, knows the 
best landing-place, and will accompany him on his passage. "Though 
I walk through the valley and the shadow of death, I will fear no 
evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staffthey comfort me." 
He who passed through death himself," and is Lord of the sea, is our 
High-priest ; and, with his priestly vestments on, he will stand in 
Jordan's current till the feeblest in all the tribes shall be safely 
landed on Canaan's shore. How delightful must be the feehngs of 
the dying Christian, the testimony of whose conscience unites with 
the witness of the spirit, to assure him that Jesus has paid his fare : 
and who knows he carries in his hand the white stone with the new 
name, to be exhibited on the pier-head, the other side, hard by bis 
Father's hou-se. This is an abundant entrance, on a fair day,' over 
a fine sea, with a pleasant breeze swelling every sail. " Now lettest 
thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy sal- 
vation." 

how different the entrance ministered to the careless professor — 
the fruitless and idle — who keeps his hand in his bosom, or leaning 
upon his implements ! Though he may reach the shore with 'his 
life, it will be at midnight, surrounded by roaring tempests, full of 
bitter remembrances and most tormenting fears. Yet, with tattered 
sails and broken ropes, peradventure he may gam the port ; " for the 
Lord is good, -and his mercy endureth for ever." But who shall 
292 



ENTERING THE PORT. 293 

describe the condition of the ungodly, driven out to sea in all their 
"wickedness; not even allowed a quarantine within sight of the hea- 
venly Jerusalem, but obliged to drift about, dismantled and disabled, 
amid the darkness of eternal storms ! Oh ! to be forced from their 
moorings at midnight, when they cannot see a handbreadth before 
them ; the thunders rolling ; the lightnings flashing ; strange voices 
of wrath mingling with every blast ; and the great bell of eternity 
tolling a funeral knell for the lost soul, through all its dismal, and 
soHtary, and everlasting voyage ! Let us flee for refuge, to lay hold 
on the hope set before us, which hope is as an anchor of the soul, 
sure and steadfast, grasping the Rock of Ages within the vail ! 



2b2 



III. THE UNCLEAN SPIEIT IN 1)KY PLACES. 



I SEE tlie wicked spirit, like a winged dragon, haying a long tail, 
drawing circles and flying in the air, in search of a dwelling-place. 
Casting his fiery look upon a certain neighborhood, he spies a young 
man, in the bloom of his days, and in the strength of his powers, 
sitting on the box of his cart, going for lime. '<■ There he is,'' says 
the old hellish dragon ; '< his veins are full of blood, and his bones 
are full of marrow ; I will cast the sparks into his bosom, and' will 
set all his lusts on fire ; I will lead him on from bad to worse, until 
he commit every sin. I will make him a murderer, and will plunge 
his soul for ever beneath the boiling billows of. the great fiery fur- 
nace." With this, I see him descending in all the vehemence of 
his cliaracter — but when close by the lad, the dragon hears him 
sing, 

"When on the cross the Saviour hung, 

The mid-day sank in midnight gloom ; , 
When guilty sinners were redeemed, 

The midnight burst in mid-day bloom." 

Upon which the dragon cries out, " This place is too dry for me," 
— and away he flies. 

I see him again, a second time, hovering in the air, and seeking 
for a resting-place. In a flowery meadow, by a river of clear water, 
he sees a maiden, eighteen years of age, among the kine, picking 
up some beautiful flowers, here and there. "Behold her," says 
Apollyon, full of hellish joy; "I will poison her mind, and lead 
her'aslray from the paths of the Almighty enemy ; I will make her a 
harlot, and will ultimately cast her over the precipice, until she sink 
for ever in the furnace of divine wrath." He hastens down ; and, 
approaching the maiden, finds her singing the following stanzas, in 
a heavenly, transporting frame of mind, and with a voice that might 
almost melt the rocks : 

"Unto the righteous will arrive, 
A day of rest serene. 
When to their joy they see the Lord, 
Without a vail between. 
294 



THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT IN DRY PLACES. 295 

"Then from the grave I shall arise, 
' And take my joyful stand 

Among the saints who dwell on high, 
Received at God's right hand." 

" This place is too dry for me," says the dragon, and off he flies. 

From the meadow he ascends hke a great balloon, with renewed 
rage, blowing smoke and fire from his . mouth, and threatening 
damnation to all creation. " I will have a place to rest and dwell 
in," says ApoUyon, " in spite of the purpose, covenant, and grace 
of God !" With this he espies an Bged wonxan, sitting, at the door 
of her cot, and spinning 'bn her little wheel. "Ah; she is ripq for 
destruction," says the dragon-; "I, will give her a taste of the 
burning gall of damnation, and will cast her into'the lake that burneth 
w^ith fire and brimstone." With this he descends on the eaves of 
the cot J and hears the old woman, with a. trembling voice, but \vith 
heavenly feelings, repeat the following beautiful passage : " For the 
fountains shali depart, and the hiJis be removed, but my kindness 
shall not depart from thee, neither shall. the cevenant of my peace be 
removed- saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee !" " This place is 
too" dry for me," says the dragon, and is off again. 

It might be thought that all these disappointments would discou- 
rage him from prosecuting his infernal designs farther ; but not so : 
he is detennined, if possible, to find -a dwelling-place. . For this 
purpose he rises again, to mark some spot-where he may alight and 
find a welcome. He sees in a small village a naat and decent house 
of refreshment. "There," says he, "will I d\vell, and lead to 
bondage every one that shall cross the threshold,* and make him fast 
in eternal fetters." He flies down like lightning, enters the house, 
and walks into the parlor ; but there he finds a company of ministers 
of the New Testament, returning from an Association, who are 
talking about the victory of Calvary, and exchanging appointments 
with each other. The wicked spirit cannot stay within the sound of 
their voice, but retreats with hasty steps, muttering and gi^owling as 
he goes^— " This place is too dry for me, I will return to my house 
from which I came out !" 



IVv SATAN AN ANGEL OF LIGHT. 



Satan perceived that it would be convenient and advantageous 
for him to havie two suits of clothes. A suit of flaming, impurpled, 
and^blackish red was his raiment since he instigated the rebellion in 
heaven : this he wears at home. This is the garment that is em- 
blematic o£ his wrath and cruelty against El-Shaddai. He trans- 
formed hirnself when he tempted the first Adam, and succeeded in 
casting him down. The Second Adam knew him, when he required 
him to obey his command, and worship him instead of the true God. 
The Second Adam would die, rather than eat bread made out" of a 
stone by the command of Satan. 

It was in his flaming, bloody, black-red garb that Satan ap- 
peared among the persecutors, both pagan and popish, lighting' up 
the funeral fires of the Martyrs. But he soon found it necessary to 
have a suit of white, descriptive of his cunning and hypocrisy ; and 
he ordered white garments for his servants also, to wear upon cer- 
tain occasions, when from home upon his expeditions. He met with 
reception in his white robe, angel-like, in many places where he 
would not have been received, at all in his suit of flaming red-bl^ck, 
in which he took the lead at pastimes. Sabbath plays, in taverns, and 
horse-races. But in his white robe he had an early admittance into 
many a cathedral, and he appointed some of his servants to offices 
there. 

He also, in his white suit, found his way into the houses of evan- 
gelical dissenters, though they profess to have a book which exhibits 
his devices. Notwithstanding all the watching that had been at the 
doors, he rushed in to the communion table, as he had done to the 
consecrated altar of -the cathedral, and sowed discord between the 
minister and the deacons ; and he himself undertook the managing 
matters between them, seated in his chair and vested in his white 
robe. He forced many to assume a profession, like tares of the 
field ; and some also of his best beloved servants, who were utterly 
destitute of the love of Christ and the fear of God, he raised into the 
296 



SATAN AN ANGEL OF LIGHT. 297 

pulpit, while they were living in secret sins ; but they all had a white 
robe, as white as the sepulchres of the Pharisees, covering all these 
things. Satan held these up to deceive before the eye of God, and 
all the terrors of eternity. To sustain them from fainting, he admin- 
istered unto them his potions from the pitcher of presumption ; and 
hardened their consciences with the hot iron of hypocrisy, heated in 
the fire of hell. He taught them to persecute religion in the garb of 
an angel. 

Let us not give room to the devil in his white raiment ! When 
he attempts to destroy the character of a brother, he assumes his 
white robe, and not his murdering garment, pretending to vindicate 
the glory of God and the cause of justice, asserting that the cause of 
religion must be cleared ; while all this time envy rankles in his heart, 
notwithstanding his fair pretences, as when the Jews delivered Jesus 
to be crucified. It was his white garment that Satan wore in the 
court of Caiaphas, when he charged the true God with blasphemy. 
This garb, also, his servant Judas wore, when he displayed such zeal 
and sympathy for the poor, in the case of the ointment at Bethany. 
Let us ask grace, that we may be able to recognise the devil in his 
white raiment, as well as in his old black-red garb. He is not so 
easily distinguished in his borrowed white, as in his o\vn proper 
suit. Let us cleanse out hypocrisy. Such is our instruction. 



38 



V. THE YOUNG CHILD. 



Herod said to the wise men, " Go and search diligently for the 
young child." The magi immediately commenced their inquiries, 
according to the instructions they received. I see them approaching 
some village, and when they come to the gate they inquire, «' Do> 
you know any thing of the young child ?" The gateman comes to 
the door; and, supposing them to have asked the amount of the toll, 
says, " 0, three halfpence an ass is to pay." " We do not ask 
what is to pay," reply they, "but, do you know" anything of the 
young child?" "No; I know nothing in the world," answers he ; 
"but there is a blacksmith's shop a little farther on; inquire there, 
and you will be very likely to obtain some intelligence concerning 
him." 

The wise men proceed, and when they come to the blacksmith's' 
shop, they ask, "Do you know any thing of the young child?" A 
harsh voice answers, " There is no such thing possible for you, as 
having the asses shod now ; you shall in two hours hence." " We do 
not ask you to shoe the asses," say they ; " but inquire for the young 
child, if you know any thing of him?" "Nothing in the world," 
says the blacksmith ; "but inquire at the tavern that is on your road, 
and probably you may hear something of him there." 

On they go, and stand opposite the door of the tavern, and cry, 
"Do you know any tiling of the young child?" The landlord, 
thinking they call for porter, bids the servant attend, saying, "Go, 
girl ; go with a quart of porter to the strangers." " We do not ask 
for either porter or ale," say the wise men ; " but something about 
the young child that is born." "I know nothing in the world of 
him," says the landlord; "but turn to the shop on the left hand; 
the shopkeeper reads all the papers, and you will be likely to hear 
something respecting him there." 

' They proceed accordingly towards the shop, and repeat their in- 
quiry, "Do you know any thing of the young child, here?" The 
shopkeeper says to his apprentice, " Reach half a quarter of tobacco 
298 



THE YOUNG CHILD. 299 

to the strangers."' " We do not ask for tobacco," say the wise 
men; "but for some intelligence of the young child." "I do not 
know any thing of him," replies the shopkeeper ; " but there is an 
'old Rabbi living in the upper end of the village ; call on him, and 
very probably he will give you all the information you desire respect- 
ing the object of your search." 

They immediately direct their course towards the house of the 
Rabbi; and having reached it, they knock at the door; and being 
admitted into his presence, they ask him if he knows any thing of 
the -young child. " Come in," says he ; and when they have entered 
and are seated, the Rabbi refers to his books and chronicles,, and 
says he to the wise men, " There is something wonderful about to 
'take place ;' some remarkable person has been or is to be born; but 
the best thing for you is to go down yonder street ; there is living 
there, by the river side, the son of an old priest; you will be sure to 
know all of him." 

Having bid the old Rabbi a respectful farewell, on they go ; and 
reaching the river's side, they inquire of the by-standers for the son 
of the old priest. Immediately he is pointed out to them. There 
is a " raiment of camel's hair about him, and a leathern girdle about 
his Joins." They ask him if he knows any thing of the young child. 
" Yes," says he, " there he is : behold the Lamb of God, that takeA 
away the sin of the world ! There he is ; he will bruise the dragon's 
head, and bring in everlasting righteousness to every one that be- 
lie veth in his nan^e." 



VI. VARIETIES OF PEEACHING. 



I PERCEIVE four strong men on their journey toward Lazarus' 
grave, for the purpose of raising him to life. One of them, who is 
eininent for his piety, says, ««I will descend into the grave, and -will 
take with me a bowl of the salt of duties, and will rub him well with 
the sponge of natural ability." He enters the grave, and com- 
mences his rubbing process. I watch his operations at a distance, 
and after a while inquire, " Well, are there any symptoms of life 
there? Does he arise, does he breathe, my brother?" "No such 
thing," replies he, " he is still quiet, and" I cannot salt him to will — 
and besides this, his smell is rather heavy." 

"Well," says the second, "come you out; I was afraid that 
your means would not answer the purpose ; let me enter the grave." 
The second enters, carrying in his hand a whip of the scorpions of 
threatening; and, says he, "I will make him feel." He directs his 
scorpion and fiery ministry at the dead corpse; but in vain, and I 
hear him crying out, " All is unsuccessful ; dead he is after all." 

Says the third, "Make room for me to enter, and I will see if I 
cannot bring him to life." He enters the grave, and takes with him 
a musical pipe ; it is melodious as the song of love ; but there is no 
dancing in the grave. 

The fourth says, " Means of themselves can effect nothing, but I 
will go for Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life." Immediately 
he leaves to seek for Christ, and speedily returns, accompanied by 
the Saviour. And when the Lord came, he stands in the door of the 
sepulchre, and cries out, " Lazarus, come forth !" and the dead body 
is instantaneously instinct with life. 

Let our confidence be in the voice of the Son of God. And let 
us turn our faces toward the wind, and say, " breath, come from 
the four winds, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live!" 



300 



VII. THE SIX CROCODILES. 



Every church-member should learn to hunt a crocodile. The 
first crocodile is a spirit to search closely for faults, Instead of hiding 
them with brotherly love, according to the directions of the gospel. 
This is Ham, the old crocodile, that exposed the nakedness of his 
father, instead of hiding it like Shem and Japheth ; for which his 
father banished him. to the river Nilus, where he still remains in Af- 
rica, under the curse of his father. 

Old pious Eli erred greatly, by allowing his children to enter the 
sanctuary as crocodiles, by sparing them, and suffering them in their 
sins, which brought, through these crocodiles, destruction on his 
house : and in the same manner since upon many congregations, — as 
the churches of Asia. This is an evil spirit in the mount. 

Another crocodile is the spirit of preference. This is the croco 
dile Judas, who was offended with Jesus in Bethany on account ol 
Mary's ointment, which she poured on the head of Jesus ; and that 
only because they did not consult him; in revenge for which he 
turned traitor. He was a selfish miser ; and ultimately hung him- 
self, and went to his own place. This crocodile still lurks among 
the reeds. There are many like him, ready to blame every act of 
discipline in the church ; not that they care so much for the interests 
of the church, or any belonging to it, but they wish to swallow all 
up themselves. 

Another crocodile is the spirit of Ahithophel, who plotted a cunning 
artifice to dethrone a person whose heart was with God, and raise 
Absalom, a wicked man like himself, to the throne in his stead. 
God turned his counsel into foolishness. He was disappointed — 
his heart failed — he saddled his ass, and went and hung himself. 
This was the end of that crocodile. 

Another is a spirit to trample and destroy, for the sake of being 
head. This is the crocodile Joab, who killed Abner, who was bet- 
ter than himself. This crocodile strikes every one who may be in 
his way under the fiflh rib, for the sake of being head himself. But 

2 C 301 



302 THE SIX CROCODILES.'^ 

his end came ; he lost his life at the horns of the altar, by the sword 
with which he himself destroyed another. 

But, upon looking again, we see the sixth crocodile, and his name 
is Cain, who would triumph over God and man ; without grace, or 
talents, or faith, or love ; and without any sacrifice that has blood in 
it ; and because God will not regard him without faith, he opens his 
mouth, and sets himself to swallow pious Abel. God delivers him 
over to the possession of the wicked one. 

brethren, let us prove the spirits, whether they are of God, or 
of-the devil! • . 

1 will tell you an anecdote of Mr. Rowlands, of Llangeitho'. When 
he wished to crush the spirit of calumny (the crocodile Ham) which 
lurked in the chui;ch, he said to the slanderer : «< Thou sayest, man, 
that sins must be hunted and exposed, because they are too nume- 
rous in the church — and that they ought not be hidden. Be quiet, 
man. Who art thou ? I think I know thy family, and thy eldest 
brother, even Ham, the son of Noah. His two brothers wished to 
hide their father's nakedness, but he would expose it. What reward 
did they receive for covering their father's nakedness ? The bless- 
ing of God and their father. And what reward did thy brother re- 
ceive? The curse of God and their father. And I doubt not thy 
reward will be nothing better." 



VIII. ENVIOUS AMBITION. 



The forest of Lebanon once held a consultation to choose a king, 
upon the death of the king, the Yew-tree. They agreed to offer the 
crown to the Cedar; and if the Cedar should refuse, to invite the Vine 
and the Olive to office. They all refused the honors for the follow- 
ing reasons. The Cedar refused, <' because," said he, " I am suf- 
ficiently high as I am." — "I would rather," said the Vine, "yield 
wine to cheer others, than receive for myself." And in the. same 
manner, the Olive preferred giving its oil to honor others rather 
than receive any honors to itself. 

All these having refused the honors offered them, they next 
agreed to call the Thorn to the government ; and if he should de- 
cline, to choose the Bramble. The White Thorn, in its beautiful 
dress, received the honor, speaking thus to itself; — "I have nothing 
to lose but the white coat, and some red berries; and I have prickles 
enough to hurt the whole forest." But the Bramble instigated a re- 
bellion against the White Thorn, and kindled the fire of pride in the 
forest, so that all the trees were set on flame. 

Two or three vain and proud men in a peaceful congregation, 
have, by contending for the preference, disturbed the peace, and 
obstructed the prosperity of many a church, while there was no more 
virtue in them than there is of value in the white thorn or prickly 
Dramble. 



303 



IX. THE DOVE, THE RAVEN, AND THE EAGLE. 



A NOBLEMAN had a Dove, a Raven, and an Eagle, belonging to 
his palace. There was no sociability or fellowship prevailing among 
them. The Dov€ fed on its own food, and hid herself in the clefts 
of the rocks, or in the dove-house near the palace. The Raven fed 
upon dead carcasses, and sometimes picked out the eyes of little 
innocent lambs, if she could pounce upon them in a chance place ; — 
she also nestled in the top of the trees. The Eagle was a royal bird, 
flying very high, but yet of a rapacious character. Sometimes he 
would not mind eating some half a dozen of the Doves for his break- 
fast. He thought himself the king of birds because he flew htgher 
than they all. The Doves greatly dreaded his strong beak, his 
wrathful eyes, and his sharp grappling claws. When the gentle- 
man threw wheat for the Dove on the pavement, the Raven would 
have a piece of an ear or the foot of a lamb in its beak ; and the 
Eagle was for taking up some little child from the cradle to his 
nest. 

The Dove is the pious diligent Christian ; the Raven is the disso- 
lute and difficult to be managed ; and the proud, selfish professor is 
the Eagle. These three characters are too frequently to be found 
together, and there is no denomination, in church or chapel, 
without these three birds, if there are any birds at all there. It is 
impossible for three birds, so different in their dispositions, ever to 
be happy together. Brethren, pray for the unity of the Spirit in the 
bond of peace. 



THE END. 



304 



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